Grilled Seafood
on Jul 07, 2025, Updated Sep 16, 2025
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Grilled Seafood and I are a reckless summer duo 🤝. Light, fresh, and packed with protein, it’s the ultimate low-effort meal that hits the spot without compromising your waistline. I love seafood because it checks so many boxes: it’s rich in protein, naturally low in saturated fats, it’s easy to digest, and low-calorie compared to some other protein options. But the best part? Grilled seafood only takes a few minutes ⏲️ to cook. Seriously. Name another full meal that’s ready that fast…I’ll wait. Actually, it might take you longer to come up with one than it takes to make this 😌. So, if you’re not a big seafood lover or you’re intimidated by it, this Grilled Seafood recipe might just be the one to reel you in (see what I did there 🎣 🐙 😜)!
Why You’ll Love Grilled Seafood
Summer and grilling go hand in hand, and few things shine on the grill quite like seafood. That smoky char takes the flavor to a whole new level of delicious. I love the combination of calamari and shrimp 🍤 for Grilled Seafood: both are quick-cooking and relatively easy to prep (of course you can always buy cleaned and prepped seafood or ask your fishmonger to do it for you). This high-protein, low-calorie recipe is easily made into a complete meal: just throw some vegetables or potatoes 🥔 on the grill, pair with a simple salad, and dinner is served in minutes.
Ingredients
- Calamari: Also known as squid, it’s a mild seafood that is tender when cooked properly (minimal time on heat) and chewy when overcooked. It can be found pre-sliced in rings or sold whole. See my instructions below for how to handle whole calamari.
- Shrimp: Opt for local shrimp whenever possible (it will be fresher and likely more sustainably and humanely caught), and do ask your fishmonger if the “fresh” shrimp has already been frozen. (You may as well purchase frozen shrimp, which is usually cheaper, and defrost it yourself.)
- Garlic: This is the ingredient you’ll find in 90% of my savory recipes. Garlic makes this Grilled Seafood recipe sing. Fresh is best, but in a pinch, garlic powder is ok.
- Lemon & lime zest: Fresh citrus zest brings indrecible bright, fruity flavor to seafood. Citrus juice can overwhelm the flavor of the dish and actually start to “cook” the seafood as it marinates, where zest adds just a bit of flavor and does not compromise the seafood’s texture. Try my favorite zesting tool.
- Olive oil: All you need is a tablespoon of olive oil to add some flavor and lightly coat the seafood, to help the other flavors in the marinade to bind.
- Salt & pepper: You only need a small pinch of salt to season naturally salty seafood.
- Fresh dill: One of my favorite herbs, dill adds a bit of color and freshness to this Grilled Seafood recipe, but is totally replaceable with any fresh herb, especially parsley.
Nonna’s Tip 🦐
Pat shrimp and calamari completely dry with paper towels before seasoning. Dry seafood + hot griddle = beautiful browning and restaurant-level results.
How to Prep & Clean Whole Calamari
“Squid” and “calamari” can be used interchangeably. You can often find it in the frozen section of grocery stores, pre-cleaned and cut into rings. You’ll want calamari rings for this Grilled Seafood recipe. If you can only find whole squid or calamari, here’s how to prepare it for cooking:
- Hold the body (the tube) with one hand, and use your other hand to separate the head. You may need to use paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to get a firm grip.
- Using your hands, remove the quill and any other innards from the tube. The tube should now be hollow.
- Lay the clean tube(s) on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, cut into 1/2-inch rings.
If all of this is making you squeamish, consider purchasing your calamari from a fish store or a fish counter, where a fishmonger can do the prep for you.
Similar Recipes
Grilled Seafood Variations and Substitutions
- Use different seafood with the same grilling method. Try salmon, octopus 🐙, scallops or chunks of firm white fish like cod, halibut or sea bass. Keep in mind, cooking times will vary.
- Instead of dill, feel free to use different herbs 🌿 like parsley, cilantro, basil or some dried oregano.
- No blackstone? No problem. You can place a cast-iron or fully stainless steel pan directly on the grill for a similar outcome.
- Try a different citrusy twist by using lemon or even orange zest instead of lime.
- For some heat 🌶️ add cayenne, chili flakes or a drizzle of chili oil.
- For an extra flavor boost add in some white wine to the marinade.
Grilled Seafood Is Best Served With
- Grilled veggies, like my Grilled Zucchini, Roasted Eggplants, or bell peppers and asparagus which can be cooked alongside the seafood on the Blackstone.
- Some rice, like my Vegetable Fried Rice or Zucchini Rice.
- A light, fresh Mediterranean Salad, like my Maroulosalata, Bulgarian Salad, Authentic Greek Salad or even my Healthy Coleslaw.
- A simple dip, like my Easy Tzatziki Recipe.
Grilled Seafood
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ pound calamari, cleaned and cut into rings (thawed if frozen)
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, to taste
- 1 pinch salt, to taste
- 1 pinch pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- avocado oil, (or any oil with a high smoke point), as needed
Instructions
- Note: add more oil for the Blackstone (or pan) as needed. Do not cook for more than 1-2 minutes as the seafood can become rubbery if overcooked.
- Using paper towels, pat dry the calamari and shrimp.
- Add the calamari and shrimp to a bowl with the garlic, lemon zest, lime zest, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and add the dill. Mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour (optional).
- Heat up the Blackstone (griddle or pan), and add a touch of oil. Cook the shrimp first for 1-2 min on each side, making sure to space them apart.
- Note: if you overcrowd the seafood, it will steam. Spacing the seafood apart will give you browning vs steaming.
- Take the shrimp off the heat and add the calamari. The calamari will curl up FAST so don’t overcook it; about 30 seconds on each side is all you need. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Frozen vs Fresh: You can use frozen or fresh seafood for this recipe. If using frozen, be sure to fully defrost the seafood prior to beginning cooking. It’s best to defrost frozen seafood in the fridge overnight. Whether you’re using fresh or frozen, be sure to pat the seafood dry with paper towels, to absorb excess moisture.
- Optional Marinating Time: You can absolutely combine all the ingredients for this recipe, pop it on the grill, and have a delicious outcome. However, if you have the time and patience to let all the flavors marinate for at least 1 hour, you will have an even more flavorful dish.
- Blackstone vs Griddle vs Pan: I love the naturally non-stick nature of a blackstone grill, and it retains high, even heat. Plus, there’s lots of surface area for flipping food and letting it cook with plenty of space. A griddle is like a small blackstone: a flat metal cooking surface that can be placed on a grill or a stove top. Flat-bottomed, cast-iron griddles are safe on both electric and gas stovetops. Cast-iron pans are also great for retaining even, high heat and can also go on the grill or an electric or gas stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Common Questions
Absolutely! Just make sure to thaw it fully and pat it completely dry before marinating. Excess moisture will prevent it from browning properly.
Yes! You can marinate the seafood for up to 12 hours in the fridge, but don’t go much longer or the citrus zest could start breaking down the texture.
Overcooking is usually the culprit. Shrimp and calamari only need 1–2 minutes per side on a hot grill. Cook them fast and pull them off the heat as soon as they’re opaque and slightly curled.
Cook them separately for best results. Shrimp and calamari cook at different speeds, and overcooking either can make them tough or rubbery.
Certainly, a cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat works great. Just make sure it’s hot enough to get a quick sear. You can also place a cast-iron or fully stainless steel pan directly on the grill.
Shrimp will turn pink and curl into a “C” shape. Calamari will curl and turn opaque. The key is to pull them off as soon as they look cooked, not a second later.
Sea Food. Eat Food. Its that good
When I saw the photos I knew I needed to make this immediately!! So damn tasty.
This was soooo refreshing and delicious! Thank you for the amazing recipe! 😍
So so good! And the quickest seafood recipe I’ve seen. Thank you for this- it’s going to be on repeat this summer.
This was absolutely delicious, will definitely make it again.