How to Grill Shrimp on a Salt Block – Tequila Lime Shrimp

We can’t wait to show you How to Grill Shrimp on a Himalyan 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. 

Himalyan 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. 

🔥 Grilling 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! 😀

⏲️ Grilling 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.

How Long Does a Salt Block Last 

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.  

How to Clean a Salt Block 

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. 

Can Salt Blocks Explode 

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! 😀

Related Seafood Recipes

Grilled Steelhead Trout with Herb Butter – This is one incredible recipe if you recently caught some steelhead or snagged a great one at the store. The melted herb butter just takes this one over the top! Delish!! 

Grilled Parmesan Salmon on Cedar Plank – This is DELICIOUS and is one of our favorite ways to cook seafood out on the grill. Just by using a simple piece of plank, you completely change the way the salmon tastes. If you aren’t a parmesan lover, try the salmon on the plank without it. The cedar infusion can’t be beat! 

Grilled Shrimp Foil Packs Fajitas – This is a quick and zippy recipe to make in a hurry that requires little effort but maxes out on the flavor. Who doesn’t love fajitas and when everyone can make their own special one in a foil pack makes this so much fun!