Simplicity is the best route in cooking and this is one of those recipes that reminds you of just that.
Fun fact about me – I love Key West, Florida! I really enjoy traveling, but there is also something comforting and relaxing about returning to a place that you get to know & we seem to not be able to stop going back to Key West- every chance we get. What does this have to do with grilled shrimp? Well, one of my absolute favorite things to do when I am in Key West is to saddle up on a bar stool at the Conch Republic at the A&B Marina and sit for hours with pile after pile of Peel & Eat shrimp. I find Peel & Eats therapeutic! I can sit there all day just peeling, eating & drinking!
Since I can’t get to Key West whenever I want my favorite peel & eats, I had to find a good recipe to make them at home. I found not only one of the best grilled shrimp recipes, but also one of the easiest! However, like all things, you need to start with good shrimp. I find it quite horrifying by the amount of unpronounceable ingredients listed on super market brand farmed shrimps, which are sadly what is served at most restaurants due to accessibility and cost. I am very lucky to be able to source good, fresh shrimp most of the year from a few different vendors in my local area of Greenwich, CT & Westchester, NY. These are shrimp that have one ingredient- shrimp.
This recipe only requires a few ingredients – extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, pepper & lemon. For dipping sauce, I like to make a blended herb mixture, but you also can’t go wrong with a classic cocktail sauce or seafood remoulade.
Having made these now several times for friends I get the same reaction every time – WOW! Why are these so good?! The answer is simple – sometimes simplicity is the best route in cooking, and this is one of those dishes that reminds you of just that.
- 16 Good quality jumbo shrimp deveined in shell, raw
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 lemons halved
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Preheat grill over high heat.
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Butterfly shrimp by slicing almost through lengthwise, but leave shell on shrimp. (This will keep the shrimp tender while grilling.)
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Brush shrimps with oil, season with salt and pepper.
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Grill shrimp for 2 minutes on each side, until shells are hot pink and shrimp is opaque. (They will continue to cook off the grill so do not over cook!)
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Place lemons on the grill, cut side down, for the last minute. The heat will release the juice from the lemons. To serve, squeeze grilled lemon wedges over shrimp.
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Serve alone, with cocktail sauce, remoulade, or chimichurri sauce.
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Peel and eat!
But I take issue with the quality of most of the shrimp cocktail that is being served out there. Water logged, flavorless excuses for shrimp are not how this delicate seafood should be served. Shrimp Cocktail should be meaty, dry, and slightly briny. It should have tons of flavor all on its own. It should not be wet, and without flavor like those horrid shrimp rings at the grocery store- those just hurt my soul.