ISO Grilled shrimp advice and/or recipes

[swinchen]

Hi All,

I have a slight confession... I love shrimp cocktail, but I have never purchased or cooked with shrimp before. I am thinking about grilling up some shrimp-kabobs tomorrow night and I am wondering if you all wouldn't mind sharing your experiences/advice with me.

Everything from purchasing shrimp (such as fresh vs. frozen, size, cooked vs. raw, shelled, etc..) to the actual grilling (temperature, how to tell when they are done, etc..) would be greatly appreciated. Dr. BBQ doesn't seem to cover shrimp in his book. It is grilling after all, not BBQ.

Oh and any recipes would be wonderful! I know next to nothing about shrimp so I am very impressionable right now

Thanks,
Sam

 

[kitchenelf]

My first tip would be, because shrimp cook fast, would be to consider placing all the onions on a few skewers, all the green peppers on another couple skewers - - - - what I'm getting at is these things will cook MUCH longer than your shrimp and you don't want to overcook the shrimp AND you don't want to have raw onions

You could even do a couple skewers of grilled pineapple.

You can use a lime, coriander, cumin, olive oil basting sauce with or without chili flakes (even marinate them for about 30 minutes - salt and pepper included).

If you use frozen shrimp just make sure they are thawed. You can do this a couple ways - 1) run cold water over them until thawed or 2) let them thaw in refrigerator for the day - use the cold water method if some are still frozen.

You want to peel them down to the take (leave the tail on). Get coals nice and hot and brush grate with oil. Oh, and place two skewers through the shrimp so they will be easier to turn. They will only take a few minutes of cooking. Test one and judge from there. Remember, they will continue cooking a bit once they are off the grill. If they are a tad underdone just place on a plate and tent with foil and they will finish cooking.

 

[kadesma]

Since you don't want to over cook your shrimp which will make them tough, buy raw shrimp..They will look grey in color. Get nice sized ones after grilling they turn a lovely shade of pink.....Peel leaving on the tail and I just marinate in a little evoo,lemon or lime and garlic and parsley..I make a seperate basting sauce of more evoo, fresh chopped garlic,parsley lime or lemon juice,salt and pepper and brush this on the shrimp as they grill..If I use fruit and make kababs, I will then marinate the shrimp in lime juice, a little evoo or melted butter, not much though, some brown sugar,and crushed garlic, the kababs I brush with a butter brown sugar mix and serve with rice..Mushroom, red bell peppers, halved onions or halved good sized shallots are nice with either way you fix the shrimp..
Give it a try, they are wonderful grilled, it's fast and easy and yummy.

kadesma

 

[Uncle Bob]

Swinchen....

They make grill pans, round ones, square ones, that have "holes" in them that are made for grilling vegetables. With one of these you can start with the items that take the longest to cook, then gradually add other ingredients along ending with the quickest cooking item, in this case the shrimp.
I offer this as just another option that is out there in addtion to the great ideas, etc given by Miss Elf and Miss kadesma

 

[lyndalou]

All very good advice. I use one skewer and pass it through the tail and the top. This leaves the shrimp flat and it turns vey easily. Don't forget to soak your skewers if your using the wooden ones.

 

[Jeekinz]

As Kitchenelf said, keep the veggies and the shrimp on seperate skewers. I started a thread not too long ago about shrimp. Stay away from the tiger shrimp. Those are the gray ones you see in the supermarket. For one, they never taste fresh and have a sort of slimy texture to them. I think they are imported from Taiwan or somewhere.
Restaurants usually serve pink or white gulf shrimp. Nice crisp and firm texture, with great flavor. Start with raw, devained/shelled shrimp. With the grill on high, and an oiled surface, the shrimp should only take about a minute to a minute and a half per side. Take them off when you can still see a tiny bit of rawness. The residual heat from cooking will finish them off.

Also, if you never had it before, brush some BBQ sauce on when they're raw. BBQ Shrimp, tastes wonderful.

-J

 

[Barb L.]

A grill pan as Uncle Bob suggested, works very well, I use mine alot for small veg's., mushroom and shrimp. Now, I leave my shells on (after deveining) I think it keeps the flavor in more. Just my take on it. They don't take long to change color - don't over cook .

 

[jennyema]

Since you live in Maine, almost all the "fresh" raw shrimp you can buy will have been previously frozen. It's not really fresh. You won't know how long it's been sitting out in the fish case. So make very sure you smell a piece or two before you buy it.

If you can find wild shrimp, buy that. If not, I actually prefer to buy frozen shrimp because it is often better quality than the frozen shrimp that has been thawed and put on ice. You can thaw frozen shrimp in just a few minutes under running water.

Buy pretty large shrimp because they shrink when cooked.

I suggest brining the shrimp by soaking them in a salt water solution before cooking. This will signicantly contribute to keeping them moist and also enhance their flavor.

I always grill shrimp with the shells on. This also helps make sure they don't dry out. Overcooked grilled shrimp is dry and rubbery and unpleasant.

 

[*amy*]

Hi All,

I have a slight confession... I love shrimp cocktail, but I have never purchased or cooked with shrimp before. I am thinking about grilling up some shrimp-kabobs tomorrow night and I am wondering if you all wouldn't mind sharing your experiences/advice with me.

Everything from purchasing shrimp (such as fresh vs. frozen, size, cooked vs. raw, shelled, etc..) to the actual grilling (temperature, how to tell when they are done, etc..) would be greatly appreciated. Dr. BBQ doesn't seem to cover shrimp in his book. It is grilling after all, not BBQ.

Oh and any recipes would be wonderful! I know next to nothing about shrimp so I am very impressionable right now

Thanks,
Sam

Hi Sam.

Next to lobster and prime rib, shrimp is my second most favorite food on the planet - fresh, packaged, frozen, shell on or off - it's all good.

Two things to keep in mind when purchasing seafood/fish, make sure it's fresh, check expiration dates, and use your nose to smell. And, shrimp cook very quickly - in a matter of a few minutes.

You could first experiment with a dish like shrimp scampi, on the stovetop to get a feel for cooking with shrimp. Admittedly I don't own an outdoor grill; however, I do have an indoor grill... so grilling is not my forte.

Unless you want to only prepare your meal outdoors on a grill, you can use other methods of prep - i.e. stovetop. If you want to do kebobs, you can cut up green peppers (only about 1"), and thread veggies that cook quickly like mushrooms onto your skewers and use any marinade of choice (it's up to you -- sweet or spicy).

As far as temp on the grill, check out weber.com, there are a few recipes there. I did come across a grilled shrimp cocktail recipe with horseradish. Will try to see if I can locate same again & post, as the site is working on and off.

Note: If the shrimp is frozen, after you defrost, blot dry with paper towel, so it doesn't fall apart i.e. too wet.

 

[swinchen]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

I will definitely have have peppers, onions and pineapple. That makes me think sweet n' sour glaze for the shrimp. Heck, maybe even stick a few of those bright red cherries on there too =P I am so unfamiliar with shrimp I am not sure what flavors go well with them. Lime, cumin and coriander sound like it would make a nice Mexican/Tex-Mex shrimp. mmmm, maybe slide a little tequila in there with it too. Arrrriba! I have a store bought chipotle/cabo rub that might be good, however I think it would be a little overpowering for the delicate flavor of shrimp. I guess I will just need to experiment.

It sounds like from the advice you have given me that large, frozen, uncooked shrimp are the safest option. I will probably go with shelled shrimp this time just to get my feet wet.

I am nervous,
Sam

 

[jennyema]

Don't be nervous! But don't worry if they don't come out exactly as you planned. They can be a bit tricky the first time.

Like I said, I always grill mine with the shells on. A glaze won't work that well that way, but a marinade does, as will a brine. A glaze will work better on shell-off shrimp, but can also burn.

Take a look at this very simple grilled brined shrimp recipe. It will explain how to brine shrimp, then marinate, then grill. Be very careful about using a strong acid like lime juice or something with enzymes like pineapple juice -- too much and/or too long will ruin the texture of the shrimp.

You sound like you have a good sense for the types of flavors you like, so I'd suggest just inventing a yummy marinade. Or skipping it and letting the shrimp stand on its own.

Here's a grilled shrimp recipe using garlic oil.

 

[SierraCook]

Don't be nervous, I am sure that everything will turn out fine. I grilled shrimp last weekend for Father's Day. I marinated the shrimp in a white wine, garlic, basil, and lemon marinade. The main thing to remember is if you think the shrimp are cooked enough they probably are.

Pineapple goes great with shrimp. Slice up a fresh pineapple and baste each ring with a 2 to 1 mixture of lime juice and brown sugar. Then grill 3-4 minutes per side. Good luck and happy eating!!