The first time I tried these, the shrimp came out rubbery and I nearly gave up on the whole thing. The second time I did the same thing. By the third, I figured out the one mistake everyone makes with this dish, and now it’s one of the things we actually look forward to grilling in the warm months.
Here’s the whole idea: shrimp, pineapple, and red onion on a skewer, coated in a glaze of soy sauce, garlic, and a little sambal oelek for heat. The pineapple gets all caramelized and sticky on the grill, the onion mellows out and gets sweet, and the shrimp stay juicy because they cook in under 8 minutes. It’s a meal that doesn’t ask much of you, which is exactly what most summer dinners should be.
Real time: 30 minutes. Hands-on: about 20.
You don’t even have to marinate the shrimp, and that’s the part I love. A few minutes in the glaze, straight onto the grill, done. This works for a lazy Tuesday, a poolside party, or any night you want something light that still feels like you put something together.
What you’ll need
Before anything else: you’ll want 8 small skewers or 4 long ones. If they’re wooden, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes so they don’t torch on the grill. Mine are metal, which saves the soaking step entirely.
- Sambal oelek — a spicy Southeast Asian chili sauce. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, sriracha works fine in its place.
- Extra-large shrimp — peeled and deveined, tails on if you like the look of it. The supermarket sells them ready to go, and honestly, buy them that way. If you’re starting from frozen, thaw them in the fridge the day before.
- Pineapple — fresh is best here. Canned works in a pinch, but it turns mushier on the grill and doesn’t caramelize nearly as well.
- Red onion — sounds weird on a skewer, but grilled red onion turns genuinely sweet. It’s a favorite of mine.
The glaze itself is just three things: sambal oelek, toasted sesame oil, and low-sodium soy sauce. That’s it. Two teaspoons of each, plus 2 tablespoons of soy. If you’re keeping it gluten-free, swap in tamari.
How to make it
The night before, if you’re feeling organized: make the glaze, cube the pineapple, chop the onion, and get the skewers soaking. Everything else takes about 20 minutes the day of.
- Whisk the sambal oelek, sesame oil, and soy sauce together in a bowl until it’s combined.
- Add the shrimp, pineapple, and red onion to the bowl and toss everything so it’s coated.
- Thread the shrimp, pineapple, and onion onto the skewers. I keep them on a foil-lined baking sheet while I get the grill going.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high and oil the grates. Easiest trick I know: pour a little avocado oil onto a wad of paper towels and rub it across the grates with tongs.
- Give the skewers a light spray of oil, then lay them on the grill in an even layer. Cook 2 minutes per side, until the shrimp is opaque and you’ve got some nice char.
- Slide them off the grill and onto a clean sheet, and serve with extra soy sauce on the side.
No grill? No problem.
A grill pan or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat gets you the same char, and you can skip the skewers entirely and just cook it in a pan. Oven works too — 350°F (about 175°C) for 10 to 15 minutes. An air fryer does them in 5 to 6 minutes at 400°F.
Serve it like a build-your-own table
I serve these with rice — white or brown — and a head of butter lettuce, plus the leftover glaze or a little extra soy sauce on the side. People pile theirs into a rice bowl or wrap everything in a lettuce leaf. It keeps the whole table happy, whatever everyone’s actually into.
If you want a veggie to go alongside, I keep a simple list in my back pocket: grilled zucchini, a carrot and ginger dressing for a salad, an Asian-style mango slaw, or some spiced garlic edamame. All of them are quick, and all of them disappear fast.
Leftovers and storage
These keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, take the shrimp and pineapple off the skewers and warm them in the microwave or in a skillet over medium-low. Reheating shrimp on a skewer tends to dry it out, so this small step makes a real difference.
Make it yours
- Short on heat? Swap the sambal oelek for sriracha.
- Gluten-free? Tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Shrimp allergic at the table? Chicken thighs, salmon, or flank steak all work on these skewers — just adjust the cook time, since none of them cook as fast as shrimp.
- Want more volume? Thread on zucchini, squash, or bell pepper alongside the shrimp.
One last note, because this is the one that tripped me up: don’t let the shrimp sit in the pineapple glaze. The enzymes in the fruit start breaking the shrimp down and it goes mushy. Toss, thread, grill — right away.
Happy cooking,
Maya