The Best Shrimp Marinade (With Basil and Beer!)

Beer and shrimp are best buddies. Add in some basil and you pretty much have the best shrimp marinade ever.

Why Should I Marinate Shrimp?

Shrimp are very tender and juicy on their own so if you marinate them it isn’t to tenderize them. It’s to give them some extra flavor.

Go ahead and choose bold flavorings for your shrimp marinade. Lemon and lime juice are both great choices for the acid. Garlic is always good good good. Some minced jalapeno and some coconut milk, amazing. There are so many directions to go.

Beer And Basil Shrimp Marinade

For this shrimp marinade, I was looking for something new and exciting to try. I turned to my trusty Flavor Bible (do you know this book? It’s incredible for coming up with new recipe ideas. It lists every food ever and then tells you what foods and flavors go with it. I always have it within arm’s reach and use it daily) and looked up Shrimp. A lot of the usual suspects were there. But then I spotted beer. Of course! Like Beer Battered Shrimp! Those flavors do work well together. Right near beer in the list of foods that go with shrimp was basil. I could already taste this. Those shrimps fates were sealed.

I had planned to start really basic with this recipe, test it out and then maybe add in some other ingredients in the second round. But it was so darned good the first time that I did it exactly the same way the second, third, and fourth time.

How To Make The Best Shrimp Marinade

Here’s what you do to make this delicious (delicious!) marinade. Pour beer (a lager, something light but flavorful) into a bowl and add some olive oil, torn up basil leaves, and salt. That’s it. Then in go the shrimp.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Don’t do it longer than that. You don’t want the beer to start cooking your shrimp (I know it’s not technically “cooking” without heat. It’s actually called denaturing, but you understand.)

After the quick half hour marinade, I like to cook the shrimp in a skillet. It only takes a few minutes to cook these tasty shrimp. Enjoy! – Christine xo

Beer and Basil Shrimp Recipe

Contributor: Christine Pittman

Beer and shrimp are best buddies. Add in some basil and you pretty much have the best shrimp marinade ever.

• Author: Christine Pittman
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Marinate: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Entrée
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Ingredients

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• 1 cup lager
• ½ cup olive oil
• 8–10 large basil leaves, torn into small pieces (plus more for garnish)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 lb. peeled, deveined, tail on, large shrimp

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together lager, olive oil, basil, and salt. Add shrimp and stir gently.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain in a colander such that only the shrimp and basil remain.
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and basil and arrange in a single layer. Let cook 1 minute, then stir.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally until opaque, pink and cooked through, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from skillet and serve.

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This post originally appeared in August 2016 and was revised and republished in March 2023.