Ancho-Adobo Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Shrimp
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This super-easy grilled Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp recipe is perfect for summer! This crowd-pleasing appetizer or seafood main dish showcases juicy, sweet, heat-ancho-adobo-seasoned jumbo shrimp wrapped in bacon strips and grilled to perfection.
Shrimp wrapped in bacon is a welcome appetizer at just about any gathering, and for good reason. Everything is better with bacon! The combination of flavors and textures in this combo is incredible.
The secret to my take on bacon-wrapped shrimp? The spice! My sweet heat ancho-adobo seasoning adds incredible Southwest-inspired flavor. My twist is not your classic adobo seasoning; it’s made with ancho chile pepper and a little brown sugar to balance the savory spice. I could easily eat these grilled shrimp every week. My family LOVES this recipe! Let’s fire up the smoker and get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s quick, easy, and ready in under 30 minutes.
- What’s not to love about surf and turf? Perfect for an appetizer or main dish.
- It’s delicious, high-protein, gluten-free (when made with GF seasonings), and low-carb.
- Very easy to customize.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Jumbo Raw Shrimp: There are roughly 20 to 25 shrimp in a pound of jumbos. You can use a different size, but I don’t recommend going smaller as they tend to overcook easily and may slip through the grates. Feel free to use extra-large jumbos and even colossal -just smoke the bacon-wrapped shrimp a few minutes longer on each side. Look for jumbo shrimp that are peeled and deveined with the tail on for convenience.
- Ancho Adobo Spice Blend: Adobo spice blends vary, but I like to make my own unique blend. It gives the shrimp a little sweet heat kick without overpowering the flavors. See below for store-bought alternatives.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: EVOO is perfect for grilling shrimp. When heated past its smoked point, it remains relatively stable, and the shrimp stay soft and tender.
- Bacon – Try not to use the straggly fatty pieces in your package of bacon if there are any. Normal-sliced, meaty strips with light marbleization work best.
- Toothpicks – You’ll also need wooden toothpicks, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before use.
For the homemade sweet ancho-adobo spice blend
- Ancho Chili Powder (not regular chili powder-it’s milder and sweeter)
- Brown sugar (the sweet helps to balance out the saltiness of the bacon)
- Smoked paprika (for a great smoky flavor)
- Garlic powder
- Dried oregano
- Onion powder
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Stir all together in a small bowl until blended.
How to Grill Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Step 1: Parcook the bacon and make the spice blend. Cook the bacon slices using your preferred method until the fat begins to melt, but the strips are still flexible enough to wrap around the shrimp. I line a sheet pan with foil (or parchment) and bake the bacon at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes (for regular, not thick-cut bacon) until partially cooked (see photo for reference). Stir all of the spice ingredients together in a small bowl.
Step 2: Marinate the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry, then toss the shrimp with the olive oil and seasoning. Cover and refrigerate while the bacon cooks.
Step 3: Preheat the grill and grill pan. First, preheat your grill on high heat. Place a grill pan on the grates and spray it with olive oil. The grill pan needs to be HOT, so let it preheat for at least 10 minutes.
Step 4: Wrap with bacon. Wrap the bacon slices around each shrimp and secure the seam with a toothpick. Set the shrimp aside while you work through the entire batch.
Step 4: Grill the shrimp. Last but not least, place the shrimp seam side down on the hot grill and cook until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp is pink and opaque (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). They cook quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Remove promptly from the grill and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Precooking bacon – Lay the bacon strips out on a foil or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 375F oven until the slices are about half-cooked and still very floppy. Regular bacon, not thick-cut, usually takes about 12-14 minutes to parcook. You can use a skillet for this, but baking is easier and less messy.
- Use regular sliced bacon – Thick sliced bacon isn’t as pliable and will need more time to cook.
- Big shrimp are best – Save small shrimp for stir-frys. For smoking and grilling, use jumbo shrimp that are at least 3″.
- Adobo spice recommendation – I’ve used Adobo Ole’ Spice Blend from Dangold’s Gourmet Collection for smoked bacon-wrapped shrimp, among other things. It’s a mixture of salt, paprika, pepper, onion, oregano, cumin, garlic, and chili powder. However, this one lacks the sweet heat I love in this recipe, but good if you want a store-bought option. You could always add a little brown sugar to it, or drizzle the finished grilled shrimp with a little hot honey.
Variations
Spices & seasonings – We love Adobo seasoning, but we also love to switch up the blend. I’ve made these with Spiceology’s Smokey Honey Habanero seasoning (I buy this at Costco). It’s another tasty sweet/smoky combo.
BBQ bacon-wrapped shrimp – Baste the shrimp in BBQ sauce, then sprinkle with a little homemade seasoned salt before wrapping them in bacon and grilling.
Serving bacon-wrapped shrimp– You can serve these alone as a high-protein appetizer or dinner. We love to make them a meal served with one of our favorite sides:
Storing
Grilled shrimp are best enjoyed straight from the grill. Store any extra in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy within a day or two. I don’t recommend freezing cooked shrimp.
Recipe FAQ
Definitely leave the tails on the shrimp! It helps protect them from heat and retain moisture during cooking. It also gives you something to grab onto when you bite into the shrimp, no forks required.
Once defrosted, yes -you can use frozen shrimp. I always buy frozen shrimp on sale to have on hand for quick dinners. To thaw frozen shrimp quickly, place them in a bowl under cold running water until thawed. Be sure to thoroughly pat them dry before marinating or cooking.
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Ancho-Adobo Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Ingredients
For the Sweet Heat Ancho-Adobo Spice Mix (yields 2 tbsp of spice mix):
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the grilled shrimp:
- 1 lb uncured bacon , slices cut in half- you'll have a few slices leftover
- 1 lb jumbo raw shrimp (tail-on) , thawed (if frozen), peeled and deveined (about 20-24 jumbo shrimp per lb)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- wooden toothpicks , soak in water for about 30 minutes prior to using
Instructions
- Stir the spice ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Cook the bacon slices using your preferred method until the fat begins to melt, but the strips are still flexible enough to wrap around the shrimp. I line a sheet pan with foil (or parchment) and bake the bacon at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes (for regular, not thick-cut bacon) until partially cooked. Check early since oven temps can vary.
- Pat the shrimp dry, then toss the shrimp with the olive oil and seasoning blend. Cover and refrigerate to marinate while the bacon cooks.
- Preheat your grill on high heat. Place a grill pan on the grates and spray it with olive oil. The grill pan needs to be HOT, so let it preheat for at least 10 minutes.
- Wrap the bacon slices around each shrimp and secure the seam with a toothpick. Set the shrimp aside while you work through the entire batch. You may have a few pieces of bacon leftover.
- Place the shrimp seam side down on the hot grill and cook until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp is pink and opaque (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). The shrimp should sizzle when they hit the pan. They cook quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Remove promptly from the grill and serve. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
- Use regular sliced bacon – Thick sliced bacon isn’t as pliable and will need more time to cook.
- Big shrimp are best – Save small shrimp for stir-frys. For smoking and grilling, use jumbo shrimp that are at least 3″.
- Adobo spice recommendation – I’ve used Adobo Ole’ Spice Blend from Dangold’s Gourmet Collection for smoked bacon-wrapped shrimp, among other things. It’s a mixture of salt, paprika, pepper, onion, oregano, cumin, garlic, and chili powder. However, this one lacks the sweet heat I love in this recipe, but good if you want a store-bought option. You could always add a little brown sugar to it, or drizzle the finished grilled shrimp with a little hot honey. If you swap the spice blend, you’ll need 2 tbsp of spice mix. Spiceology’s Hot Honey Habanero spice mix is another good store-bought option.
Nutrition
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can this be done in the oven as well?
Yes, it can Dawn. I would broil them and watch closely so they don’t burn. The shrimp won’t take long to cook and you want the bacon to get a little crispy.
Thank you so much ladies!! Glad you love the recipe!
oh how yummy tasty creation for the grill.
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Yummy. Delicious looks dish. I like to follow above recipe in this weekend.
Love this, Amee! Sharing over my way: )
This is my kind of dish-yum!