We can’t wait to show you How to Grill Shrimp on a Himalayan Salt Block! We are always looking for new and creative ways to expand our grilling skills and this is one technique that will keep us going for a long time.
Himalayan Salt Blocks are thick pink salt blocks, just as the name implies and they infuse a very slight and mild salt flavor to your food when cooking.
The salt flavor is NOT like you poured salt all over your food but it is a salt flavor that feels like it is in the background of the meat you have grilled. It is more complex and unlike anything you have tasted before.
It’s a bit of magic, really: the shrimp pulls just the right amount of salt. Also, the salt block retains and distributes heat very well, which is perfect for delicate fish and seafood that needs to cook fast.
🦐 Ingredients
Shrimp | Go for a medium or larger shrimp for this recipe so there is enough of the shrimp to slide on the skewer. They should smell fresh with a hint of shrimp smell. If they smell sour or too fishy, they have gone bad.
Fajita Seasoning | Grab your favorite version and use that. We love Dizzy Pig’s seasoning so that is the one we tend to lean towards. Alternatively, you could always make your own.
🔥 Instructions
This time, we took this recipe a step further than to just show you HOW to cook shrimp on a salt block. We want to show you the recipe we used when we made it at home. We are very YIN and YANG in our house, so I am going to show two different ways to make this sauce as well.
Step One: Toss the peeled and cleaned shrimp with your favorite Fajita Seasoning. We tend to love Dizzy Pig’s Fajita-ish Seasoning that is so incredible! Dizzy Pig’s seasonings are all natural. There isn’t any MSG or gluten hidden inside. Best of all, they are local to the D.C. area, and we love to stop by their store as much as possible.
Step Two: Thread the shrimp on flat skewers. If you haven’t invested in these yet, you need to get them. Flat skewers eliminate twists and turns and is a game changer for grilling kebabs.
Step Three: Place the shrimp on the salt block and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side. They are fully cooked when they take on an opaque white/pink coloring.
Step Four: Make the Tequila Lime Sauce. This is where we made it TWO different ways. One option is to only use the tequila, honey, pineapple juice, shallot, garlic and cornstarch. This is a sweet sauce that one of us loved with the little spicy shrimp! It complimented the kick from the fajita seasoning perfectly.
The second way is to continue and add the lime and cilantro, if you like it. This version had a more tangy, perky and zesty flavor. It leaves a refreshing aftertaste, but the lime definitely makes its presence known!
We loved them both and battled back and forth on which version we liked better! Stop at the point before you add the lime and taste it to see which way your family might like better.
Step Five: Drizzle the sauce over the shrimp or serve it as a dipping sauce. One of us drizzled and one of us dipped! Jason always prefers not to get his hands too gooey with the sauces – whatever! 😀
⏲️ Time
Shrimp naturally cooks fast and this is no different on a salt block. I grilled it for 2-3 minutes on each side, and it was more than enough to cook the shrimp through.
The salt block is already at 400 degrees, so the instant the shrimp hits the salt block, it starts cooking quickly. This is the time to stay right near the grill so they don’t overcook and become rubbery.
📌 Equipment
Since salt blocks are so sensitive to heat, it is best to bring them up to temperature slowly. Set it on the grill grate when you first start the grill and let it heat up extremely slowly.
We usually take a full hour or so to allow it to climb up to the 400 degree mark. Check on it every 15 minutes or so.
If you are using a charcoal grill, put the coals to one side and the salt block to the other side. It will help to heat it slowly and not shock the salt block. Believe it or not, there are cases where the block virtually explodes because it was heated too fast. Most likely, it will just break in half.
Just be cautious and heat it slowly.
👨🍳 Recipe FAQs
It really depends on how much you use it, but it can last for many months with regular use and care. It is a great investment and you shouldn’t have to replace it very often. It is a great accessory for your grill, but you probably won’t use it every single weekend.
Salt blocks can explode if water gets stuck in the pores and then the water heats up faster than the salt block itself. That is another reason to just lightly clean the salt block and not immerse it into water. Salt blocks can also explode if you heat them up too fast.
Most likely, it will just crack in half, which really isn’t a big deal, as you’ll have two smaller ones now! 😀
After the salt block has fully cooled (and that will take HOURS – seriously!), the best way to clean it is to scrape off all of the excess food particles and then wipe it off with a damp sponge. Don’t use any soap here and since salt is naturally microbial, you won’t have to worry. Also, don’t soak this in water or run hot water on it. Treat it gently.
You must wait at least 24 hours before you try to use it again to make sure it is 100% dry.
Full disclosure: I poured hot water on mine after the first use and it made a little indent in the salt block FAST, so when the recommendation is to not pour water on it, they mean it.
Related Recipes
How to Grill Shrimp on a Salt Block + Bonus Recipe for Fajita Rub Shrimp with Tequila Lime Sauce
Equipment
- Himalayan Salt Block
Ingredients
- 1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp Fajita Seasoning we used Dizzy Pig
Tequila Lime Sauce
- 6 oz Pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup Tequila
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 Lime juice it and grate the skin
- 1 Shallot chopped
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 tsp Cilantro fresh, optional
Instructions
Prepare the Salt Block
- Heat up the salt block on the grill very slowly. I gradually brought the temperature up over the course of an hour. Once the grill temperature reaches 400, it is ready to use.
Fajita Shrimp
- Toss the Fajita Seasoning with the one pound of shrimp
- Thread on flat skewers. Trust me, you'll want the flat skewers as it stops the shrimp from spinning around when you are flipping them.
- Grill on the salt block for 2-3 minutes each side. You will see the shrimp turn pink and the flesh will become opaque. That is the indicator that they are cooked through.
Tequila Lime Sauce
- Sauté the shallot for 3-4 minutes in small sauce pan
- Combine the pineapple juice, tequila, honey to the shallots. Add the minced garlic and bring to boil for 10 minutes.
- Add cornstarch and water together in a small container and whisk together. Gently add into the pineapple juice mixture and stir. AT THIS POINT STOP AND TASTE! This is where we divide in our house and I want to make sure you give yourself a chance to adjust the recipe.
- If you are moving forward to make it a full Tequila Lime Sauce, add in the lime juice and lime zest and stir. I added one teaspoon of cilantro but my friends don't always like it, so use it only if you enjoy the taste!
- Drizzle or dip the grilled shrimp in the sauce
Notes
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
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