In the Northeast we seem to have only three seasons: Winter (too cold and long), Summer (either too hot or too cold) and Fall (my favorite season but way too short). However, make no mistake about it – you know it’s Spring by the insane level of pollen which spreads and permeates everywhere. Don’t bother to get your car washed until the end of June. Don’t open your windows lest you want a thin layer of yellow dust in the house. I never had spring allergies as a kid, but since moving East over 15 years ago, they have gotten worse each year. (Fortunately, my fall allergies have completely disappeared. I guess we have less ragweed here than in the Midwest.) Despite the pollen and lack of temperate weather, I welcome the 80 degree weather because it commences grilling season.
The beauty of grilling is that it’s quick, easy and the mess stays outside. It allows you to prepare food hours ahead and forget about it until you are ready to fire up the grill. Lately, I’ve been busy with my kids’ activities and have turned to the grill for quick easy meals, i.e. burgers, hotdogs, sausages, steaks and shrimp.
I’ve become quite fond of David Tanis’ Garlic Shrimp Brochettes. The marinade ingredients are pesto-like, but the parsley and lemon zest add a lighter and fresher flavor. This is a simple recipe: prepare the marinade; skewer the shrimp and marinate for a few hours. Fire up the grill, grill for 2-3 minutes per side and enjoy. It can’t get any easier!
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 16 pieces extra large shrimp (preferably wild), peeled and deveined
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 bamboo skewer sticks
- To prepare the marinade: In a blender, add salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, lemon zest and olive oil. Pulse the ingredients together until coarsely combined.
- To skewer the shrimp: Thread shrimp onto two skewers spaced evenly apart, one skewer at a time. Put 4 shrimp onto each set of skewers. Season with salt and pepper. You will have four sets of skewers.
- To marinate the shrimp: Lay the skewers in a shallow dish. Spoon half of the mixture over the shrimp and spread evenly. Flip the shrimp over and spoon and spread the rest of the mixture onto the shrimp. Refrigerate for at least one hour (3-4 hours is better). Remove the shrimp from the fridge 15 minutes before you are ready to grill.
- Grill the brochettes: Over a medium-high fire, grill the shrimp 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Adapted from David Tanis' recipe Garlic Shrimp Brochettes which appeared in the Food section of the New York Times, August 15, 2014
