Grilled Redfish with Lemon Butter Shrimp Sauce

Mar 25, 2025 Modified: Mar 25, 2025by Lyn Corinne Liner This post may contain affiliate links.

My grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce flavor pops off the tongue with a bold, smoky feistiness that hooks you from the first bite, y’all!! Just as easy as it is incredibly delicious, this jaw-dropping delicacy goes from prep to table in only 30 minutes. Yep and yay…

Grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce on an oval white serving platter alongside flowers, broccoli, and smothered potatoes.

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It’s Black-Tie Backyard Fare…

Grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce features seasoned fillets and an easy homemade sauce that cooks side-by-side on the grill to restaurant-quality deliciousness in mere minutes. Although the prep is easy and the ingredient list is modest, the fresh citrus, earthy herbs, butter, and smoky dried spices collectively create a fancy, highly developed flavor profile.

Truth be told, this dish is truly amazing, y’all. It’s perfect for injecting an upscale touch into your usual grilling routine. The grilled redfish is seasoned and cooked to perfection. And the sauce, y’all, the sauce!! It has a buttery base electrified with pops of bright citrus, earthy parsley, and smoky paprika that glide along the tongue in a bodacious blaze of glory. Indeed.

Ingredient Essentials & Substitutions

Labeled ingredients for grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce in bowls and a plate on a white marbled background.

I used local redfish, also called red drum, for this recipe. I prefer boneless fillets over redfish on the half shell, with the scales still intact. However, you can also make this recipe with the latter type by grilling them scale-side down and then flipping them over for the finish.
For best results, use medium-sized, roughly 36/40-count shrimp for the sauce. These are large enough to make an impressive presentation yet small enough to be enjoyed in bites along with the fish.
Grab a couple of lemons for the juice and zest. They only take a few minutes to prep and are extremely important for the sauce.
I love and recommend Crystal hot sauce. You can also use Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce.

How to Make Grilled Redfish with Lemon Butter Shrimp Sauce

To start the recipe, use a wire brush to clean your grill grates of debris, then oil them lightly. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Then, season the shrimp with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

Add the seasoned shrimp to a small cast iron baking dish along with the other sauce ingredients.

Raw seasoned shrimp in a small cast iron baking dish with lemon juice and zest, fresh and dried spices and butter.

Pour a small amount of olive oil along the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, then sprinkle a small amount of seasonings on top.

A small amount of olive and dried seasonings on the inside of a ceramic 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place the redfish fillets in the dish. Add the remaining oil and spices to the top of the fillets.

Place the fillets onto the grill, less seasoned side down. Position the baking dish on the grill, as well. Close the cover.

Grill for a few minutes, then flip the redfish fillets over carefully. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until they temp up to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Two redfish fillets on a charcoal grill.

Continue cooking the lemon butter sauce over the coals until the shrimp also temp up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, pour the sauce over the grilled redfish and serve.

Lemon butter shrimp sauce cooking on charcoal grates on a charcoal grill.

And that’s it, y’all!!

Super easy to make yet incredibly amazing to experience, this grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce is simply stunning. Its mesmerizing presentation is only surpassed by its extraordinary multi-layered flavors and its luscious, succulent textures. So, it’s a win-win, easy New Orleans-style seafood dish that’ll get you rave reviews around the table. For sure!!

Share with those who make the small things in life extraordinary special. Much food love, and see y’all on the yum side…

Closeup of grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce with a whole parsley leaf garnish in the top left corner.

More Restaurant-Quality Seafood Recipes

What to Serve with Grilled Redfish with Lemon Butter Shrimp Sauce

Grilled Redfish with Lemon Butter Shrimp Sauce

An easy restaurant-quality meal for two, this grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce cooks on the grill in mere minutes.

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American/Cajun

Keyword: grilled redfish with lemon butter shrimp sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 444kcal

Author: Lyn Corinne Liner

Ingredients

For the Lemon Butter Shrimp Sauce

½ pound peeled, deveined shrimp 36/40-count is ideal
salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste I used about ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and 1/16 teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup softened butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons hot sauce

For the Grilled Redfish

2 7 to 10-ounce redfish fillets can also use on the half shell
2 tablespoons olive oil I love this one
2 teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste I used about ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne

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Instructions

Prepare a charcoal chimney or heat a gas grill to medium-high.
Season the shrimp and place in a shallow cast iron baking dish. Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and hot sauce to the dish.
Pour about ½ tablespoon of olive oil into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle about ¼ of the onion powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste into the bottom of the dish.
Place the redfish fillets into the baking dish, then cover them with the remaining seasonings.
Transfer the redfish fillets onto the grill, less seasoned side down, and place the baking dish on the grates near the fish.
Cook the fish for about 3 minutes, then flip each fillet over carefully and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each fillet reads at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transfer the redfish fillets to a heat-proof serving platter.
Continue cooking the lemon butter shrimp sauce, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp temp up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use heavy oven mitts to remove the sauce from the grill.
Pour the sauce over the grilled redfish fillets and serve immediately.

Notes

This dish keeps well covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Save prep time by pouring the seasoned shrimp and remaining sauce ingredients into an airtight container or freezer bag and refrigerating overnight.
You can make the sauce on the stove instead of the grill if desired.
Too many seasonings can cause the fish to stick to the grill grates. So, I lightly season one side of the fish to give the fillet a better chance of staying in one piece throughout the necessary flip that often breaks them. Heavily seasoning one side also enhances the final presentation, in my opinion.
Stay close to the redfish while grilling. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fillets, so even a minute of overcooking can make a drastic difference in taste and texture.

The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.

See our full nutrition disclaimer here.