Great Shrimp

[Brad Ballinger]

I've been on a shrimp kick all summer. Part of it is because the shrimp truck from Fabian Seafood shows up several times during the summer. But I also buy plenty of frozen raw shrimp.

I've hit upon an appetizer that kills at parties -- grilled shrimp served with chipotle mayonnaise. On occasion, I will be asked for the mayonnaise recipe, but I'm always asked how I prepared the shrimp, what I used for a marinade, etc. When I tell people olive oil, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper, they can't believe it. Half the time the follow up is "and for how long did you marinate them?" The answer, again, is I didn't. I brushed them with oil, sprinkled on salt and pepper and grilled them. I then tell them the only way to screw shimp up is to overcook them, marinade or no marinade.

I've still fielded phone calls afterwards to the effect of "I'm going to a party and I want to bring those shrimp you made. What did you use for a marinade again?"

[Curlz]

Someone out there will probably be able to explain the why behind it, but I've never found a need to marinate shrimp either! Unlike most other proteins, it seems to take on flavor pretty quickly, which just adds to the ease of cooking it.

I also have a go-to shrimp app recipe that doesn't require a marinade, and I always have someone ask for the recipe whenever I take it to a party. I read a recipe for chicken with latin citrus sauce (mojo criollo), and decided it sounded better with shrimp. Oh, and it's ridiculously easy. There's a dry rub that sits on the shrimp while I'm putting together the ingredients for the sauce, which takes all of about 5 minutes. It's not my recipe to publish, but I'm happy to share it if anyone wants it--just PM me.

Now, where are all of the food scientists to explain why shrimp doesn't need to marinate?!?

[MT-Tarragon]

I brushed them with oil, sprinkled on salt and pepper and grilled them.  I then tell them the only way to screw shimp up is to overcook them, marinade or no marinade.

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I've got a pretty similar recipe with similar results at parties. I sprinkle on the kosher salt and cook/saute quickly in olive oil with a few dried hot peppers. It gives them a hint of spiciness. Mmm. Then you have some bonus oil in which to dip chunks of bread.

[Jinmyo]

Marinating shrimp is pointless.

Brad, similiar to chipotle mayo is mayo made with lime and Vietnamese or Thai roasted chiles. (They usually come bottled in oil but if one uses the oil instead of oliove oil or whatever in making the mayo it's too strong.)

[elChileno]

I agree that shrimp don't really benefit from marinating.

I use oil, salt and butter (sesame oil is good on occasion).

One thing I've been doing though, is to soak them in a light brine for about one hour (very cold water).

I've found that this helps in making the shrimp "pop" or "snap" when you bite into them.

Has anybody else tried this?

[piperdown]

I brushed them with oil, sprinkled on salt and pepper and grilled them.  I then tell them the only way to screw shimp up is to overcook them, marinade or no marinade.

←

I've got a pretty similar recipe with similar results at parties. I sprinkle on the kosher salt and cook/saute quickly in olive oil with a few dried hot peppers. It gives them a hint of spiciness. Mmm. Then you have some bonus oil in which to dip chunks of bread.

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This is the best shrimp appetizer I know as well. I love it. It takes about 5 minutes to go from "Hey, I feel like Chili shrimp" until "Hey! Chili Shrimp!". I think the only thing I might do different then you is add garlic to the oil as it heat up along with the chili's, an I usually squirt some lemon juice over the dish at the end. And your totally right about the sauce after, with good bread, it's almost as good as the shrimp.

[fiftydollars]

I don’t marinate shrimp, but I like to thaw them in salted water. I believe it speeds the thawing and somewhat brines the shrimp in the 20 or so minutes it takes.

[MT-Tarragon]

This is the best shrimp appetizer I know as well. I love it. It takes about 5 minutes to go from  "Hey, I feel like Chili shrimp" until "Hey! Chili Shrimp!". I think the only thing I might do different then you is add garlic to the oil as it heat up along with the chili's, an I usually squirt some lemon juice over the dish at the end. And your totally right about the sauce after, with good bread, it's almost as good as the shrimp.

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Oops, I totally forgot about the garlic. I do put garlic into it, duh. Okay, so maybe it is a bit different from the original post, but it is still delicious. Everyone loves it.

[Marco_Polo]

Peeled or unpeeled? Big enough to have to devein? Butterflied?

Me, I like to peel big raw prawns (devein if necessary), soak in oil, garlic and piri piri chilies, then thread on skewers and grill briefly over charcoal. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Or else stew briefly in a cazuela in olive oil and with heaps of unpeeled garlic, add a glass of sherry, a generous squeeze of tomato paste and lots of coarsely ground piri piri chilies. Eat with fingers and mop up the sauce with good sourdough bread. Accompanied of course with endless copitas of chilled manzanilla or maybe a bottle or two of Vinho Verde.

[Brad Ballinger]

Peeled or unpeeled? Big enough to have to devein? Butterflied?

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Peeled and deveined. I know there's some loss of flavor by removing the shells before grilling, but it's so much easier to serve to a larger group by peeling beforehand.

Not butterflied -- too small.

[bleachboy]

I always brine shrimp, as prescribed in the eGCI brining course, for exactly 25 minutes. I've found that in this case it's very important to accurately measure the amount of salt you put into the brine, because they can easily overbrine and be way too salty.

The best shrimp I've ever made at home? Brined, then grilled on a skewer with COPIOUS amounts of hickory smoke. They were treated first with a bit of black pepper, olive oil, and garlic. They had a truly scrumptious smoky flavor.