The grilled pineapple shrimp boat fires up the flavor of the succulent juicy pineapples and delights with each bite of citrus and seafood, while beautifully presenting yet, being incredibly easy to prepare! Feel free to refer to this shrimp and pineapple recipe as a shrimp and pineapple bowl or a boat of shrimp and pineapple because no matter what you call this easy recipe, you will also call it delicious!
As an added recipe bonus (and if you are not a shrimp fan) you’ll find my substitute for shrimp grilled tofu pineapple boats.
For foodies seeking a great shrimp and pineapple bowl, you’ve found it and you really don’t need any special kitchen skills or kitchen accessories to make a shrimp pineapple bowl grilled pineapple is one of those fruits that can be grilled because it really brings out its flavor, so let’s start grilling!
Why You’ll Love This Shrimp And Pineapple Bowl Prepared on The Grill
The recipe for grilled shrimp pineapple rice bowl has a few built-in shortcuts which make it fast and easy to prepare and it is so celebratory of grilling season in my opinion!
- the pineapple becomes even juicer when they are grilled
- Shrimp (seasoned) are always great on the grill
- you can and should prepare most of the ingredients in advance
- the overall presentation of the halved grilled pineapples is stunning for any dinner party
- you will be using easy-to-find ingredients like shrimp and pineapple for this easy grilled recipe
- most of the cooking is done outside on the grill and cleanup is easy!
- if you are not a shrimp fan, you can sub in tofu and use my tofu pineapple bowl recipe which is on the recipe card
- for those that want meat instead of shrimp and rice and instead of tofu and pineapple boats, you can use different meats and I’ve shared those in the post as well!
Equipment Needed To Make The Shrimp And Pineapple Bowl
- Aluminum foil or grilling basket
- A grill
- Grilling tongs
- a basting brush or a spoon or fork
- a few knives for the pineapple and the fruit such as a serrated, chef’s knife, and a paring knife.
- cutting board and a silicone mat (to make it non-slip if it is not!)
Ingredients For Your Grilled Pineapple Shrimp Boat
- Fresh pineapple – you’ll want to choose a pineapple that is ready to use and you’ll know if your pineapple is ripe when you pull the center leaf and it pulls right out without tugging.
- Shrimp – you can use any shrimp you want for the shrimp and pineapple bowl ranging from small to large this is a simple preference, but there are shrimp I would suggest not using and I’ll cover that below. (Tofu if you are making pineapple boat with tofu)
- bbq sauce of some sort – whatever your favorite flavor is
- rice – you can use any kind of rice that you prefer there is nothing set in stone for the shrimp and pineapple boats you will be making
- Nectarines or peaches
- fresh corn on the cob or frozen )
- fresh cucumbers
- Strawberries are optional but Oh Em Geeeee are they fabulous when grilled
- Lime
Anatomy Of A Pineapple
If you have never cut a pineapple before you may want to have a look at the Anatomy of pineapple so you understand what I am referring to, but I will tell you this, I broke the rules for cutting and grilling and did it my way and it was ALL GOOD!
How To Make A Grilled Pineapple Shrimp Boat
You’ll find that creating a grilled shrimp pineapple rice bowl inside the pineapple is easy and takes just minutes once you grill.
Step 1 Start With The Filling For the Shrimp Pineapple Boat
Prepare your rice however you decide (Instant Pot, Stove, Rice Cooker, etc), and then once cooked place it in a large mixing bowl.
To that bowl, you will add your nectarine and cucumber, and corn.
Then go ahead and use your lime to drizzle this with freshly squeezed lime juice (you can add salt and pepper to taste and set this rice boat filling aside.
Step 2: Prep The Pineapple + Shrimp For Grilling
Make sure to preheat your grill and use a nonstick spray on the grates if you plan to cook your shrimp and pineapple directly on the grates without a veggie tray or foil or read on.
Chop off most of the crown of the pineapple so the leaves don’t burn and cut the pineapple in half and baste with the bbq and top with the strawberries (optional)
Prepare the shrimp with spices and olive oil and set aside.
For the easiest transition and grilling experience with the pineapple, you will want to use a veggie grilling tray with handles so that transferring the pineapple too and from the grill is done with ease.
Step 3 Grilling The Shrimp And The Pineapple
Depending on whether you used cooked shrimp or raw shrimp your cooking times will vary, but you will want to grill your shrimp until they are done and then remove them from the grill.
As for the pineapple you will want to keep the lid down while grilling and the pineapple will change from pale yellow to a more vibrant yellow when it is cooked (it is fast and I call out the timing in my recipe card below with more specifics)
YOU CAN COOK THE SHRIMP AND THE PINEAPPLE AT THE SAME TIME I AM BREAKING THIS INTO STEPS BUT YOU CAN USE THE SAME TEMPERATURE FOR BOTH!
Remove the pineapple from the grill, do note that it will be much softer than when you placed it so use an appropriate vessel as mentioned above.
Step 4 Preparing The Pineapple Bowl And the Shrimp Rice Mixture
Once you have finished grilling the pineapple and have transferred it to your prepared prep space, you will remove the core easily with a knife, and toss it out (or use it for your composting pile).
Then either scoop or cut out the freshly grilled, soft pineapple and transfer the cubes or scoops of pineapple into the bowl with the rice, nectarines chunks, etc.
This will leave you with pineapple and an open bowl to fill so let’s get to the bowl filling!
Smash the cooked strawberries and place that into the rice mixture (if you use the berries).
Last, you’ll add in the shrimp (see recipe card for tips on this) and combine it well with all the other pineapple boat ingredients.
Step 5 Fill Your Pineapple Boat
Believe it or not, this can make or break your presentation of the seafood and rice stuffed pineapple boat!
You’ll be using the rice mixture to fill each of the pineapple halves and then serving.
The trick here is to fill the pineapple cavity with enough but not too much and to place a spoon or fork in the last 1/4 before filling so that the initial plunge is already made easy to accomplish!
Once filled you can decide if you want to further drizzle with more lime or bbq or just serve it as is. Dig in and enjoy those grilled shrimp pineapple boats!
What To Serve With Your Shrimp And Pineapple Rice Recipe?
Sides
For a side I suggest some pita bread grilled with a little bit of butter and cut into wedges or even a simple coleslaw with some mango through it!
Desserts
Coconut cream pie goes so well as a dessert with this particular meal as do Key Lime Donuts and a key lime pie!
Cocktails
Try a peach margarita, a strawberry margarita, a pink lemonade margarita, or my purple pansy drink on the side!
What Can I Substitute In The Pineapple Boats with Shrimp Recipe?
Here are a few different things to try but your personal preference will drive your recipe and yes we have tried all of these variations and love each of them!
- use edamame to gain a little more protein and a light crunch
- Jump to my recipe and use TOFU Instead of shrimp I share how to get the right taste and how to grill it
- fill the pineapple rice mixture with bean sprouts and bamboo shoots
- instead of nectarines in the pineapple and shrimp bowls try peaches and mango or a mixture of all
- use a spicy hot chili sauce instead of bbq sauce for a bit more of a zing if you like spicy and hot!
- use beef, chicken, pork, or lamb with or instead of shrimp.
- coleslaw is a great addition
How To Reheat & Store A Grilled Pineapple Shrimp Boat
I’ll share this tip, do not store and save this meal, it is not as good the next day.
Shrimp And Pineapple Bowl FAQs
Can I Use Cooked Shrimp To Make A Grilled Pineapple Shrimp Boat?
Yes. That is what makes this a simple recipe you can shortcut in so many ways and using cooked shrimp means you cook the food faster and get on to the best part… devouring the shrimp pineapple bowl!
Is the rice used in the shrimp pineapple boat fried?
No. This is genuine steamed rice which you can prepare any way you prefer such as in your Instant Pot, rice steamer, or via stovetop, etc!
Can I Use Teriyaki Sauce Instead of BBQ When Preparing My Grilled Pineapple?
Yes. In fact, you can use teriyaki sauce, chili hot sauce (hot or sweet), orange sauce or any flavor of sauce you prefer because in the end the recipe for a shrimp and pineapple bowl is about what you prefer so enjoy!
Can I Use Grilled Chicken Instead Of Shrimp?
Absolutely! There are so many great pineapple boat ideas, and this is just one option, but the recipe is very versatile. Try using steak and chicken and pork, all of those work perfectly with the pineapple boat recipe instead of shrimp.
Have You Used Tofu For Your Protein In The Shrimp Pineapple Rice Boat?
Yes! You will want to prep your grill properly to accept the Tofu and I have a bunch of notes inside the recipe on how to use TOFU Instead of shrimp so jump to the recipe for the cliff notes!
Want To Know How To Make Grilled Pineapple Boats With Tofu?
Make Sure To Come Back And Tell Me How Your Grilled Pineapple Shrimp Boat Turned Out
There’s nothing I love more than when my readers and social platform followers reach out and share what they did differently or the same and how they loved the recipe or didn’t!
This lets me know what you are all thinking and I love hearing from each of you as it is a gift!
Grilled Pineapple Shrimp Boat
Creative use of pineapples that become grilled and filled as a vessel for serving grilled pineapple shrimp boats, offering a fun way to dine on pineapple shrimp and other delicious fruits and veggies!
This is a very interchangeable ingredient recipe meaning if you prefer beef, chicken, pork, or lamb you can use that instead of shrimp, or of course, you can also use different seafood instead of shrimp.
Also, I love preparing shrimp pineapple boats with TOFU. I've added the bonus recipe in my notes!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe pineapple (washed)
- 16 Medium (peeled, deveined and fully cooked shrimp)
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp of garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp of fresh pepper or ground pepper
- 1 tsp of smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (or less or more as desired to taste)
- 1 Cup of Cooked Rice
- 1-2 Nectarines (or peaches) rinsed, and cubed
- 1/2 C of Corn Cooked
- 2 pickling cucumbers (or 1 large seedless cumber) rinsed, peeled and cubed
- 2 Large Strawberries (optional) washed and halved
- 1/4 C BBQ Sauce
- 1-2 Limes Rinsed and halved
Instructions
- prepare your rice
- once the rice is ready, you will transfer it into a mixing bowl and add the chopped-up nectarine and cucumber, and corn.
- Drizzle this with freshly squeezed lime juice (you can add salt and pepper to taste, I do not but that is personal preference)
- preheat the grill to 400°F
- While the grill is preheating you'll begin preparing the pineapple and the shrimp
- Using a serrated knife or a chef's knife, chop the crown/leaf portion off or you can do as I did and chop off most of the leaves and yet allow some of the crown to remain (really this portion is up to you)
- then slice the pineapple in half and do not take out the core right now, allow it to grill will soften it and make it so much easier to remove as you each half of the pineapple to be intact when you are done cooking.
- using a basting brush add some bbq sauce across each of the 2 halves of the pineapple then set the pineapple halves aside.
- if you are going to also use the strawberries as suggested, then add your strawberries atop the bbq basted pineapple halves otherwise skip on to the next step.
- If you are using cooked shrimp, then you will simply add the defrosted shrimp into a bowl, with the olive oil, and then season with garlic salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes (or alternatively you can use a premade grilling seasoning of your choice (Jerk, etc.), mix and set aside.
- YOU CAN COOK THE SHRIMP AND THE PINEAPPLE AT THE SAME TIME I AM BREAKING THIS INTO STEPS BUT YOU CAN USE THE SAME TEMPERATURE FOR BOTH
- FOR COOKED SHRIMP: Grill your shrimp as you prefer (atop a sheet of nonstick foil, or foil sprayed with a nonstick spray, or right on the grill grates). As these are cooked shrimp you are just going for the quick crisping effect so it will take 1 minute per side and you can remove the shrimp.
- FOR RAW SHRIMP: If you are using raw shrimp and grilling, you'll prepare the shrimp as above, and can expect the shrimp to cook in about 2 minutes per side (the outside of the shrimp will appear pink in color while the interior of a raw to cooked shrimp will be white)
- DO NOT OVERCOOK the SHRIMP (raw or cooked) OR THEY WILL BE DRY!!!
- Remove the shrimp from the grill once you've achieved the proper cooked-through color.
- While you are cooking the shrimp, you'll want to place the pineapple on the grill (you can use a piece of foil, place them directly on the grates or you can cook them on the 2nd tier if your grill has this)
- The berries will turn from a bright red to a dark red, you can remove them separately from the pineapple once cooked and reserve them for loading the pineapple shrimp rice boats.
- The pineapple will turn from pale yellow to a brighter yellow (I suggest keeping the grill lid on and from start to finish at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit you will find that the pineapple will be ready!
- Remove the pineapple from the grill, do note that it will be much softer than when you placed it so use an appropriate vessel (i.e. a large-faced spatula and tray to transfer so it does not wilt in the middle. ) If you grilled it on a vegetable grilling tray, take caution when removing using either tongs to pull the tray off onto a cookie tray or use heat-proof gloves so you do not get burned!)
- You'll scoop out the flesh of the pineapple (remove the core) and as you cut the flesh or scoop it, add it to the bowl that is filled with the rice, nectarines, corn, and cucumbers as this is the filling for the grilled pineapple shrimp boat.
- Once you've 'gutted' both pineapples, smash the strawberries into the bowl of rice mixture
- Add the shrimp, I do suggest chopping them before but this again is a personal preference.
- Combine well and then scoop the rice, nectarine, cucumber, shrimp, etc mixture into the pineapple boat.
- You can drizzle with more lime or bbq or just serve it as is.
- Dig in and enjoy those grilled shrimp pineapple boats!
Notes
Here is how to substitute TOFU instead of Shrimp. Grab the printable here
Use a very FIRM Tofu and make sure to get the water out by pressing it ahead of time before prepping it (if you eat Tofu you know what I am talking about already) and just cut the big slab of TOFU in 1/2 width -wise.
Place it in the same marinade spices as above or you can use my quick pinch of this and that recipe for grilled tofu which goes like this:
use about 1/2 c of soy sauce, a pinch of ginger, a bit of smoked paprika, a pinch of black pepper, and lime in either a shallow bowl or a zippered bag, making sure that each piece of tofu is sitting in the marinade.
Allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes (better at 6 hours and sensational at 24 hours) covered and refrigerated.
Before Grilling do All of the following So Your TOFU does not STICK to the Grill:
Preheat the Grill between 375° F to 425°F
Prepare the grill grates using a nonstick spray ( I always use coconut oil that is flavorless because it has a higher smoke point than its counterparts - olive and veggie oil)
If you are going to grill it on a veggie tray do also prep the pan with nonstick spray and if you are using foil do the same.
Once your grill is prepared or your tray, you will then remove your tofu pieces onto the grill allowing the reserved marinade to remain in the bag or glass dish for use later.
Grill each side of the tofu chunk for 4-5 minutes and remove it from the grill.
Add the grilled tofu back into the marinade and allow it to absorb or you can drizzle the grilled tofu.
Cut the grilled marinated tofu into bite-size chunks and add it to the rice combination instead of the grilled shrimp!
Enjoy!
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