Oh my gosh, when that first real warm evening hits and you pull out the grill, you *know* what you have to make. Everyone loves a good summer barbecue, but nothing says ‘special occasion’ quite like getting both steak and seafood right at the same time. Trust me, I used to panic trying to coordinate the perfect medium-rare sirloin with perfectly plump shrimp, but I figured out the magic trick!
These Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter are absolutely my go-to recipe, and honestly, it’s all about that unbelievable citrus garlic butter we brush on during the final minutes on the heat. It melts right into the marinated beef and seafood, giving you this incredible, rich flavor that just screams summertime grilling success. You won’t believe how simple these are to pull off. After a few tries, I nailed the timing down so you get juicy steak and never-tough shrimp every single time. Get ready for the best Surf and Turf Kabobs you’ve ever made!
Why You Will Love These Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter
I know, I know, grilling steak and shrimp at the same time seems intimidating, but I promise, this recipe changes everything. It’s fast, it tastes like you spent hours fussing over it, and the flavor is completely out of this world. You’re going to want this one in heavy rotation!
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Perfect Surf and Turf Flavor
We hit the sweet spot here. The steak is marinated in smoky, savory goodness, and the shrimp soak up just enough flavor before getting smothered in that bright, zesty garlic butter. It’s the perfect marriage of the ocean and the pasture. If you love strong flavors, you absolutely need to check out my recipe for Firecracker Grilled Shrimp Skewers too!
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Ideal for Backyard BBQ
These are ready in under an hour total! That means less time standing over the grill and more time relaxing with a cold drink. They look fancy piled high on the platter, making them perfect for entertaining guests or just making a Tuesday night feel special. They are honestly the easiest crowd-pleaser.
Essential Ingredients for Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter
Okay, the success of these kabobs hinges on having the right building blocks ready to go. Once the grill is fired up, you don’t want to be digging around for smoked paprika! We have three main components here: the marinade for our beef and seafood, the vegetables that add color and crunch, and the star of the show—that amazing garlic butter.
Make sure you grab a good quality sirloin steak; this cut cubes nicely and handles the marinating process well without going tough. For the shrimp, you want them peeled and deveined—I always use the large ones because they look stunning on the grill.
For the Steak and Shrimp Marinade
This is the savory base that wakes up the meat and seafood before grilling:
- 1.5 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (don’t skip this, seriously!)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the Citrus Garlic Butter Baste
This is what we brush on halfway through cooking! It melts right into everything. For the best results, use fresh lemon juice; the bottled stuff just doesn’t have the same zing. You can find some other ideas for my favorite butter recipes on my Citrus Garlic Butter guide.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (I like to mince mine extra fine)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Also, don’t forget your veggies! We’re using 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow onion, both cut into 1-inch pieces, along with 12 wooden or metal skewers to hold it all together.
How to Prepare the Marinade and Garlic Butter for Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers
The prep work here is straightforward, but timing matters a lot if you want truly flavorful steak. My biggest tip, which I learned the hard way after one bland skewer attempt, is to respect the marination time. You need those spices and the acidic ingredients—like the soy sauce and Worcestershire—to penetrate the beef!
Marinating the Steak
First things first, in a good-sized bowl, just whisk together all those marinade ingredients until they look nicely combined. Then toss in your cubed sirloin. I usually let this sit for a solid 30 minutes on the counter while I prep my veggies and soak the skewers. If you have time, definitely let it go up to 4 hours in the fridge for the best outcome. I’ve got some notes on utilizing other great herb marinades if you want to try a twist next time!
Mixing the Citrus Garlic Butter
While that steak is taking a flavor bath, we make the glorious garlic butter. Just melt your butter gently on the stove—don’t let it brown! Once it’s liquid, take it off the heat. Now, stir in that minced garlic, the fresh lemon juice, the parsley, and salt. Mix it up really well. This mixture is kept separate because we only start brushing it on the skewers once they hit the grill. It keeps the garlic from burning before the meat is cooked!
Assembling Your Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter
This is where the fun starts, but don’t just shove ingredients on haphazardly! If you learned anything from my Grandma about baking, assembly matters just as much as the ingredients themselves. If you are using those classic wooden skewers, take a minute right now to put them in a shallow dish of water; letting them soak for about 20 minutes stops them from catching fire halfway through dinner prep. Trust me, nobody wants a burned skewer!
If you want to explore other great ways to put things on a stick—I have a fantastic recipe for Pesto Chicken Caprese Skewers that is amazing outside of grilling season—but for these surf and turf beauties, we need a specific rhythm.
Alternating Ingredients for Even Cooking
The main goal here is to separate the shrimp from the steak slightly. Shrimp cook super fast, and we don’t want them turning rubbery while waiting for that sirloin to hit medium-rare. I like to create a repeating pattern to ensure every bite gets a little bit of everything, including the veggies!
Here is the sequence I swear by:
- Start with a piece of marinated steak.
- Follow that with a piece of onion or bell pepper—these act like little spacers!
- Next, thread on a shrimp.
- Follow that with another piece of vegetable.
- Then, another piece of steak to start the cycle again!
Don’t pack them too tightly against each other. You want a little space between the ingredients; that’s how the heat, smoke, and that beautiful garlic butter get to coat everything properly. When you’re done, the skewer should look colorful and inviting!
Grilling Techniques for Perfectly Cooked Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter
Okay, this is the make-or-break moment for our Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter! We need happy medium-rare steak and bouncy, pink shrimp, not shoe leather. The key is consistent, medium-high heat. Get your grill going until it’s running right around 400°F. Make sure those grates are cleaned and oiled so nothing sticks when you lay those beautiful skewers down.
We start by cooking them hot and fast for the first flip. Lay the skewers down and let them grill for about 3 to 4 minutes per side to get those gorgeous grill marks. Once you turn them the first time—that’s the cue! Pull out that bowl of citrus garlic butter and baste them generously. That butter sizzles right into the marinade. I try to check my steak around the 8-minute total mark, aiming for that perfect internal temperature.
Achieving Medium-Rare Steak and Juicy Steak and Shrimp Grills
You need to keep turning them every couple of minutes after that first baste, brushing on more butter each time. If you want to see my full breakdown on getting that perfect beef texture, check out my secret methods for How to Grill Perfect Steak Skewers. Slow and steady basting makes these skewers so juicy!
Tips for Perfectly Cooked Shrimp on Grill
Shrimp are the divas of the grill—they cook so fast! As soon as you notice them starting to curl up and turn pink, they are basically done. If you see your steak still needs 3 or 4 more minutes to finish but your shrimp are looking ready, don’t pull the whole skewer off! My favorite trick is to simply slide the shrimp pieces over to the cooler side of the grill, maybe over a burner that’s turned off, while the steak finishes soaking up that smoky heat. It stops them from going tough while you wait!
Variations and Additions to Your Easy Garlic Butter Skewers Recipe
You know I love this recipe as is—it’s one of my favorite Summertime Grilling Ideas—but sometimes you just need to shake things up a little bit, right? Since we established a really solid base with the marinade and that stellar citrus garlic butter, customizing these skewers is super easy. You can really make these Easy Garlic Butter Skewers Recipe your own depending on what looks best at the market that day. I’m not strict about only using peppers and onions, not at all!
Vegetable Substitutions for Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers
Feel free to swap out the standard veggies for whatever else you have on hand. Cherry tomatoes work wonderfully; they burst open slightly on the grill and get nice and sweet. Zucchini chunks are great, but make sure you toss them in a tiny bit of olive oil first so they don’t just stick to the grates. Mushrooms, especially white button or cremini, soak up the marinade like little sponges, bringing so much earthy flavor to the party. Mix and match based on color and texture!
Boosting the Garlic Butter Flavor
If you want to take that basting butter up a notch before you start grilling, I have a couple of fast tricks. For a little kick, stir in a small pinch of red pepper flakes right when you add the garlic. It warms up beautifully with the steak. Another thing I sometimes do—especially if I feel like the beef marinade was a little light on the smokiness—is blend a tiny extra 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika directly into the melted butter. It intensifies that rich flavor layer you get when you brush it on. Want something sweeter? Check out how much tastier shrimp skewers get with a touch of sweetness in my Honey Garlic Shrimp Skewers with Pineapple recipe!
Serving Suggestions for Your Surf and Turf Kabobs
Once you pull those beauties off the grill, glistening with that last coat of citrus garlic butter, you need the perfect side dish to carry all that incredible flavor! These Surf and Turf Kabobs deserve something that complements them without overpowering that savory steak and bright seafood. You can’t just eat skewers standing over the plate forever, even though you’ll want to!
My absolute go-to side is usually something simple and a little bit fluffy to soak up any extra butter drips. A big bowl of fluffy saffron rice or even just plain jasmine rice is perfect. It’s neutral, it catches the flavor, and it makes the whole meal feel substantial. If you’re serving these in the summer, a light, crisp salad is also a wonderful contrast to the smoky richness of the grill.
If you want something a bit more rustic and hearty, I highly recommend oven-roasted potatoes dressed up simply with herbs. If you’re looking for a fantastic, easy recipe, you have to try my Bacon and Onion Skillet Potatoes—they pair so well with the smoky notes from the paprika in the steak marinade. Keep the sides easy so the attention stays exactly where it belongs: on those perfectly grilled pieces of meat and shrimp!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Leftover Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers
Look, I get it—sometimes you make too much, or maybe you just saved the best ones for lunch the next day! Even though these skewers are best fresh off the fire, storing leftovers properly ensures they don’t turn into sad, dry hockey pucks later. You want to handle cooled leftovers right away.
First, if you still have any of that amazing garlic butter left, that’s great! If not, save yourself the trouble later and just make a tiny fresh batch. Once everything is completely cooled down, carefully remove the steak, shrimp, and veggies from the sticks. It’s easier to separate them first because the shrimp will dry out faster than the beef if you try to reheat the whole skewer.
Pop all the components into an airtight container. I never leave leftovers sitting out for more than two hours; nobody wants food poisoning tainting tomorrow’s lunch! The container keeps out any weird fridge smells. They should easily last three days tucked away in the cold section.
Reheating is where you need patience. Microwaving these is usually a disaster because the shrimp instantly turn into rubber bands. My favorite way to revive them is on the stovetop. Use a skillet—cast iron works best—over medium-low heat. Add a teaspoon of oil or a dollop of your leftover garlic butter, toss the pieces in quickly, and heat just until warmed through. You’re looking for maybe 60 seconds per side for the steak and even less for the shrimp. If you absolutely must use the oven, keep it low (around 300°F) and place everything on a baking sheet wrapped tightly in foil to steam slightly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter
I always get a ton of questions after I post photos of these skewers because people are nervous about that seafood/beef timing! Don’t be! Cooking these can be really straightforward once you know these few tricks. Hopefully, these answers help you feel totally confident pulling these off for your next backyard BBQ!
Can I grill the steak and shrimp separately?
Oh absolutely, you can! If you are ever worried about overcooking the shrimp, just use two separate grills lanes or cook the steak first, pull it off, and then throw the shrimp on with a fresh brush of butter to quickly finish them off. But honestly, when you assemble them separated on the skewer like I showed you—and watch them closely—you can get them both done at the same time so they are both piping hot and ready for that final basting. Combining them just means more surface area gets coated in that amazing butter!
What is the best cut of steak for these skewers?
I stuck with sirloin steak here because it’s flavorful, readily available, and it cuts into those perfect 1-inch cubes that cook relatively quickly on the grill. If you want something even more tender, tenderloin is glorious, but it costs a bit more. Just make sure you pick a steak that’s relatively uniform in thickness so everything cooks evenly. If you’re looking for tips on handling tougher cuts, even though we aren’t using them here, you might find my guide on marinade for tuna steak recipes helpful!
How do I keep the wooden skewers from burning?
This is such a basic step, but people always forget and then they are scraping burnt wood bits off their food later! Simple solution: soak those wooden skewers in water for at least 20 minutes before you even think about threading anything onto them. I usually start soaking them as soon as I pull the steak out to marinate. If you’re using metal skewers, you don’t have to worry about this at all—they’re reusable forever!
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Grilled Steak and Shrimp Skewers with Garlic Butter
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
A recipe for making flavorful steak and shrimp skewers brushed with a rich citrus garlic butter while grilling.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 wooden or metal skewers
- For the Marinade:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Garlic Butter:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the steak cubes, toss to coat, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours.
- While the steak marinates, prepare the garlic butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the minced garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and salt. Set aside.
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning.
- Assemble the skewers by alternating steak, shrimp, bell pepper, and onion pieces. Try to keep the steak and shrimp pieces separated slightly to aid even cooking.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Lightly oil the grates.
- Place the skewers on the hot grill. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side for the first turn.
- Brush the skewers generously with the garlic butter mixture after the first turn.
- Continue grilling, turning every 2-3 minutes and basting with more butter each time. Grill until the steak reaches your desired doneness (about 10-12 minutes total for medium-rare) and the shrimp are pink and opaque (about 6-8 minutes total). Shrimp cook faster than steak, so monitor them closely.
- Remove skewers from the grill when done. Brush with any remaining garlic butter before serving.
Notes
- To prevent shrimp from overcooking, place them near the cooler edges of the grill or add them to the skewers halfway through the steak cooking time.
- For best results, use sirloin or tenderloin steak for the skewers.
- Serve the skewers over rice or with a side salad.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 skewers
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 550
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 40
- Cholesterol: 210
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