BBQ Shrimp Skewers on a Pineapple Boat

By James Kimble June 19, 2025 6 mins read 9 Views

We wrap U14-16 shrimp in prosciutto and skewer them before grilling hot and fast. The skewered shrimp are then hit with a pulverized pineapple, sesame oil, roasted garlic and molasses glaze before being plated on a grilled pineapple boat filled with sticky jasmine rice. We garnish these BBQ Shrimp Skewers on a Pineapple Boat with a seafood seasoning, green onions and sesame seeds.

We’ve been on a molasses kick lately and are giddy to partner with Grandma’s® Molasses on multiple recipes including these juicy pork, fresh pineapple and purple onion skewers and Sweet, Smoky Party Ribs.

We also did Grilled Chicken Lollipops which we will be publishing soon so check back often.

For a more traditional shrimp dish, give these Bacon Wrapped Shrimp a chance. Or use the shrimp to stuff some whole trout and slow smoke the fish.

Big shout out to Grandma’s® Molasses who partnered with us on this post. That sweet, smoky deliciousness should be in every household. I firmly believe that.

BBQ Shrimp Skewers on a Pineapple Boat Ingredients:

2 fresh pineapples (makes four pineapple boats)
20-24 shrimp (at least U14-16 in size)
6 ounces of prosciutto
Your favorite seafood rub/seasoning (divided)
1 cup of fresh pineapple (obtained when making the pineapple boats)
6 ounces Grandma’s® Molasses
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon roasted garlic (or in this case, roasted jarlic**)
3 cups sticky jasmine rice
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced into slivers
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

**I’m a big fan of saving time with garlic by using jarlic which is just jarred garlic. Sure, fresh is better and feel free to use that. With a wife, four kids and being a small business owner, I gotta save time where I can.

Make the Grilled Pineapple Boats

Let’s get it started by slicing the pineapple:

Slice that pineapple right down through the stem on top:

Sliced the pineapple all the way through bottom

After the pineapple is sliced, carve out the core and some of the pineapple flesh:

Carving out the interior of the Pineapple

This doesn’t have to be pretty or perfect. We’re going to fill the cavity with sticky rice so don’t sweat it this isn’t symmetrical:

Remove the interior of the Pineapple to make a Boat

Carve off the soft flesh from the core and drop that into a food processor or blender:

Drop the soft pineapple into a blender or food processor

We will get back to the glaze shortly.

Crank up the grill to north of 500F and grill the pineapple boats, flat/flesh side down.

Pro Tip ~ Place the pineapple on the on the grill with the leafy stem off the heat to keep them from wilting and getting soft.

All we are doing here is waiting for some browning/char on the outside edge of the pineapple boats.

DO NOT attempt this until the grill is wicked hot. If the grill is not raging hot, it will just turn the pineapple to mush before it chars

One more pic of that pineapple boat:

Grilled Pineapple Boat just off the Grill

Time to Make the Glaze

Now combine the Grandma’s® Molasses, sesame oil and roasted garlic with the fresh pineapple in a food processor or blender and pulse till smooth:

Add to a bowl to make it easier to brush onto the grilled shrimp skewers and can double as a dipping bowl:

Pouring the Pineapple and Molasses Glaze into a Bowl

Prep the Shrimp Skewers

It doesn’t take a lot of prosciutto to wrap around each shrimp. One 3 ounce package of prosciutto that I used had 6 slices of pork which means each one was 1/2 ounce. I used a half a slice of prosciutto per shrimp:

Place each shrimp on a half slice of prosciutto:

Roll up each Shrimp in Proscutto — Roll up each Shrimp in a half slice of Prosciutto

Then slide the prosciutto wrapped shrimp down on the skewers. I did 6 shrimp per skewer:

Grill those Shrimp Skewers

On that same 500F+ grill we used for the pineapple boats, grill the shrimp:

While the shrimp cooks on the grill, fill those boats with some sticky rice (we used jasmine rice):

Also, slice the green onion for the garnish:

It won’t take long for the shrimp to cook. Just 2-3 minutes per side to get some nice char:

Glaze the Skewers

Brush the pulverized pineapple and molasses glaze on both sides of the skewers:

Do not leave these long with the molasses glaze down on that high heat.

Flip every 30-60 seconds to thicken that glaze and keep that sugar from burning. After a couple flips, you can re-apply a second coating if you wish.

I did not apply a second coat.

Remove from the grill:

Plate each skewer of shrimp on a pineapple boat:

Garnish with the sesame seeds, green onion and a dusting of that seafood rub:

And a close up of that plated (pineappled?) dish:

And when you bring this platter around, you are going to be treated like a rock star:

BBQ Shrimp Skewers on a Pineapple Boat Summary

I love everything about this recipe. The succulent shrimp, salty prosciutto, that sweet molasses glaze, the cloying jasmine rice, the charred pineapple. All of it. That first bite with a shrimp and a little bit of that grilled pineapple was nothing short of magical:

And if that pic looks like it was in my microwave, it was. It started to pour as we were getting our final shots and I had to run everything inside. The closest place to my door that I could put this that my dog would not be able to get to was the microwave over the stove. And by the time I was done running everything in from outside, I was craving one of those shrimps and some pineapple. So I snapped that pic right before I devoured that bite.

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Thank you to Grandma’s® Molasses for partnering with us on this dish. I always keep some Grandma’s® on hand to add that sweet and smoky flavor to sauces and glazes or just dunk some pork or pineapple.

BBQ Shrimp Skewers on a Pineapple Boat

Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and skewered. The shrimp skewers are grilled and glazed with pineapple and molasses, then plated on a grilled pineapple boat.

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Hawaiian, Polynesian, Seafood

Keyword Fresh Pineapple, Gas Grill, Grandma's Molasses, Grill, Grilled Pineapple Rum Ham, Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Shrimps, Jarlic, Jarlic Garlic, Jarred Garlic, Jasmine Rice, Molasses, Pineapple, Pineapple Boat, Pineapple Boats, Prosciutto, Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp, Rice, Shrimp, Shrimp Skewers, Skewers, Sticky Rice