Easy Grilling…Honey Lime Grilled Shrimp

Summer is here and my grill is roaring and ready to go.  And in this heat wave that I am hoping will be embarking on us any minute now in Chi-town (annnnnny minute…) the last thing I want to do is stand around by a hot grill for hours turning and burning some huge hunk of meat.  So it’s nice to have easy and quick grilling recipes to turn to when sweating my (fill in the blank here) off.

Hubs is a huge fan of seafood.  All of it.  And any type of it.  In the summer months I try and grill mostly everything…I have even learned how to grill lobster for him.

A few weeks ago, on a very crazy Saturday afternoon, hubs called me and asked to fire up the grill for him…stand back everyone…my hubs the pyromaniac was in the mood for grilling…

Typically, this girl (points to self) is the grill master of the house.  And I let few near my beloved Weber.  But, if hubs wanted to grill, who am I to stop him.  Besides…this grill master was mighty tired.

Unfortunately, by Saturday afternoon the contents of my fridge are a bit empty and sad.  Typically all that remains are some week old slightly slimy turkey breast and meal leftovers from that weeks suppers.

This seemed like a perfect excuse for me to go grocery shopping…a favorite activity of mine.

The shrimp looked extra fresh that day and so I figured I would be a pest and challenge my hubs with grilling something other than steak and burgers.

As usual I took my sweet time at the grocery store and ended up having very little time to prep the shrimp.  In reality, that was a blessing in disguise.

I had purchased easy peel shrimp, which are already beheaded and de-veined.  They have a slit down the back where the vein usually is which allows for them to be easily peeled.  (hence the name.)  Do not peel the shrimp before cooking.  Many are unaware but the shrimp get a great deal of their flavor from their skins, especially when cooked.  Most fish and shellfish broths are made with the shells of shrimp and lobsters to get a nice rich flavor.

I marinated the shrimp quickly with their shells on in a mixture of garlic, honey, lime, chili flakes, seasoning and cilantro.  A few tosses of the marinade later they were skewered and hubs grilled them for 3 minutes on each side on high.

He tasted them and said they were really good.  Which coming from my spoiled hubs translated to outstanding.  Naturally, he claimed it was his mad grilling skills that made them taste so good.  Let’s all nod in agreement…

These shrimp come together so quickly it’s perfect to serve as a last minute light dinner option or an easy appetizer for guests.

First place your garlic, cilantro, honey, lime, salt, pepper, chili flakes and olive oil into a blender or food processor.

And let it whiz up until all is nicely combined, it can still be chunky, in fact I prefer that.

Here’s a tip for your limes.  Place your lime in the microwave for 15 seconds then cut it and place a fork in the middle and squeeze the juice out.  The microwave gets the juices flowing.

Once the mixture is all mixed up, pour over your shrimp and toss to combine.  Let them sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.  Any more than that and the acidity of the lime may start breaking down the shrimp and it will turn it into a ceviche…and that’s fine except not what we are going for here. 

Once they have marinated, place them on skewers.  If you are using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them for at least 30 minutes in water so that they do not burn on the grill.

Grill the shrimp on an oiled grill set to high for 3 minutes per side.  No more, no less.

Let them rest and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pound of 15-20 size easy peel shrimp, shells on
• juice and zest of 2 limes
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/2 a bunch of cilantro washed
• chili flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. First place your garlic, cilantro, honey, lime, salt, pepper, chili flakes and olive oil into a blender or food processor. And let it whiz up until all is nicely combined, it can still be chunky, in fact I prefer that.
2. Here’s a tip for your limes. Place your lime in the microwave for 15 seconds then cut it and place a fork in the middle and squeeze the juice out. The microwave gets the juices flowing.
3. Once the mixture is all mixed up, pour over your shrimp and toss to combine. Let them sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Any more than that and the acidity of the lime may start breaking down the shrimp and it will turn it into a ceviche.
4. Once they have marinated, place them on skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them for at least 30 minutes in water so that they do not burn on the grill.
5. Grill the shrimp on an oiled grill set to high for 3 minutes per side. No more, no less.

By: Mila Furman