Oil-based marinades are the move for grilled shrimp skewers

High-sugar marinades are the problem. Stick with oil-based ones.

Sugar caramelizes and burns on hot grates, gluing your shrimp to the grill. Oil does the opposite—it creates a barrier. A simple olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper mix is hard to beat. The acid from the lemon helps tenderize without making shrimp mushy if you keep it under 30 minutes.

Other good bets: chimichurri (oil-heavy, herbaceous), harissa with olive oil, or a basic ginger-soy-sesame oil combo. Just watch the sugar in bottled sauces—most are loaded with it. If your marinade tastes sweet, it will stick.

Also, pat the shrimp dry before marinating, oil your grill grates with a high-smoke-point oil like avocado oil, and don’t crowd the skewers. Metal skewers help too.

Sugar equals sticking. Oil equals freedom. That’s really all you need to remember.