Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Arugula-Walnut Pesto. Easy bite-size shrimps on skewers are grilled until they are lightly brown, then topped with a fresh pesto sauce made with fresh arugula and walnuts. So good, the arugula-walnut pesto is what enhances the flavors of the grilled shrimp making these the best tasting shrimp kabobs! And, it makes a terrific appetizer to serve your guests on any weekend!
When we have friends over, we like to have at least one fun finger-food appetizer that we can prepare, grill and have it ready just before everyone arrives.
I love this recipe because I can prepare the arugula-walnut pesto sauce early in the morning, then grill the shrimp later in the day.
The arugula-walnut pesto sauce is made with fresh arugula, basil, walnuts, olive oil, garlic and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It was so good, I couldn’t stop licking my spoon.
To save some time with this recipe, I prefer buying already peeled and cleaned shrimp. You can find them fresh at your local seafood market for a few pennies more, and for a little more money they do all the work for you. I love that, and for me that alone is worth it!
Though these grilled shrimp kabobs were bite-sized, they were perfect to complete a full platter, making enough for our guests to have more than one kabob before dinner. The shrimp kabobs are equally good served hot, room temperature or even cold.
You can chill them after they’re grilled and serve with the arugula-walnut pesto spread on top. Don’t forget to leave some extra in a small bowl for dipping!
Keep in mind, if you are entertaining you may want to eliminate the nuts in case any guest may have nut allergies.
Serve these grilled shrimp kabobs with arugula-walnut pesto sauce on the side or lightly spoon some pesto over the shrimp and serve.
ENJOY!!
Here’s a tip: Best to keep unused pesto stored in the refrigerator for up to one week, or frozen up to two months. Make sure you drizzle a small layer of olive oil over the top surface to prevent discoloration and seal tightly.
*You can follow along with our steps or jump down to the bottom of this post for our full recipe card.
Nutritional facts for pesto sauce: ( per 2 Tbsp. serving): 90 calories, 10g fat, 1.5g saturated fats, 0mg cholesterol, 2g protein, 1g carbs, 0g sugar.
Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Arugula-Walnut Pesto
- 1 pound small or medium size fresh shrimp-cleaned, peeled, deveined
- 3 cups arugula- rinsed, stems removed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 3/4 cup walnut halves
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
- 1 lemon juiced -divided
- 8 inch skewers
- organic cooking spray, for grill
1. Rinse shrimp under cold water and drain. Season shrimp lightly with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them. Thread shrimp onto skewers, about 3 shrimps per skewer.
2. Heat and spray a non-stick grill pan with cooking spray. Grill shrimp kabobs for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add a squeeze of lemon juice over them while grilling. When shrimp is cooked, transfer to a serving platter.
3. For the Pesto Sauce:
Place the arugula, basil leaves, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into blender or a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed.
4. Add the walnuts, pulse and then in add Parmesan cheese and pulse again about 2 or 3 times, until all ingredients are well combined. With machine running on low speed, slowly stream in the oil until desired consistency is reached. It should resemble a loose paste.
5. Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Best made the same day serving. Lightly spoon or brush pesto sauce over the shrimp kabobs. Serve. Refrigerate any remaining unused pesto sauce.
Yields: 2 cups pesto sauce and approx. 14 to 16 kabobs
Thanks for Pinning!
Looking for more shrimp recipes as appetizers? Try our Easy Italian Shrimp Salad, or our Zesty Lemon Shrimp and Mango Salad! And how can we forget our Shrimp Cocktail with Vodka Sauce. All these recipes are super easy and crowd-pleasers!!
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Happy Cooking!
xo Anna and Liz
- 1 pound small or medium size fresh shrimp-cleaned, peeled, deveined
- 3 cups arugula- rinsed, stems removed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- ¾ cup walnut halves
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
- 1 lemon juiced -divided
- 8 inch skewers
- organic cooking spray, for grill
- Rinse shrimp under cold water and drain. Season shrimp lightly with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them. Thread shrimp onto skewers, about 3 shrimps per skewer.
- Heat and spray a non-stick grill pan with cooking spray. Grill shrimp kabobs for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add a squeeze of lemon juice over them while grilling. When shrimp is cooked, transfer to a serving platter.
- Place the arugula, basil leaves, garlic and ¼ teaspoon of salt into blender or a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed.
- Add the walnuts, pulse and then in add Parmesan cheese and pulse again about 2 or 3 times, until all ingredients are well combined. With machine running on low speed, slowly stream in the oil until desired consistency is reached. It should resemble a loose paste.
- Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Best made the same day serving. Lightly spoon or brush pesto sauce over the shrimp kabobs. Serve. Refrigerate any remaining unused pesto sauce.
- Yields: 2 cups pesto sauce and approx. 14 to 16 kabobs
Recipe adapted from House Calls Magazine Summer 2013
15 Comments
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
July 31, 2013 at 5:03 pmOh this is so pretty! Perfect for company. Give me a piece of crusty bread and I would be in heaven. I love the peppery flavor of arugula – I know this must be tasty. yummy 🙂
Roz Corieri Paige
July 31, 2013 at 10:47 pmAnna and Liz,
Oh how I love a great pesto! The arugula and walnuts make this extra flavorful! Your photos are so beautiful and professional! What a pleasure it is for me to visit your blog!
xo
Roz
Joanne
August 1, 2013 at 12:49 amThat's such a fun pesto flavor! I need to use arugula in my pesto more often.
Irish Mayfield
August 1, 2013 at 4:17 amThank you so much for sharing this grilled Shrimp Stir Fry kabobs with arugula walnut pesto recipe. It looks so unique and I want to try it so that I can serve it to my family and I'm hoping they will like this. Keep on sharing!
Ambar
August 27, 2014 at 1:32 amLOVE this sauce for shrimp!
Marcela
August 27, 2014 at 11:31 pmoh… shrimps are my favourite 'meat'.. they are so soft… and i totally love your sauce…
Dan from Platter Talk
August 28, 2014 at 11:51 amIt seems that you've done it again. A beautiful, original, and deliciously summer recipe. Thanks for sharing this one, Ladies!
AdriBarr
September 2, 2014 at 5:04 amWhat a wonderful dish. I adore arugula pesto. Arugula has notes of walnuts on its own, so adding them to the mix is a perfect idea! Bravissime!
Val
September 2, 2014 at 1:59 pmThese photos are so vibrant – such a wonderful meal to eat this time of year.
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
September 4, 2014 at 1:35 pmWhat a lovely pesto! I've not tried an arugula pesto yet but love the idea. Shrimp is a favorite for entertaining and this is a wonderful idea for a first course.
Sandra
May 25, 2017 at 4:12 amThat Arugulo-Walnut-Pesto sounds really delicious and would be a tasty addition to anything that takes our fancy!
annaliz
May 27, 2017 at 3:27 amSandra this pesto is really good and goes well on chicken too! Have a great weekend!
ezgi
May 26, 2017 at 6:02 pmdelicious ….
annaliz
May 27, 2017 at 3:28 amYou're welcome!
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