Zesty Grilled Shrimp

Ready for a perfectly spicy grilled shrimp that’s easy to prepare and will impress whoever you are feeding? 

Ready for a recipe that’s so easy to pull off you’ll feel bad about accepting the rave chef compliments?  Well, read on….

You will want to choose the best shrimp you can find, and usually this means frozen. Surprised? Believe it or not, the majority of shrimp sold in the grocery store or at the fishmonger were deep frozen at sea and delivered to the retailer in that state. The display of ‘fresh’ shrimp you see at the counter is most likely the same bags of frozen shrimp you could find in the freezer section. They’ve just been defrosted before going on display! There’s no way of knowing how long they’ve been defrosted, so you’ll be better off buying the frozen shrimp and defrosting them yourself, where you have more control over the process. You want to be able to ensure they are not out of the freezer for too long before being cooked. Of course, the only exception to the always-buy-frozen rule is when you have access to live shrimp, either from the ocean or stored in tanks at the shop.  

These ingredients are so simple, it’s important for everything to be as fresh as possible for best results. 

Ingredients 

Yields: 6 servings

• 2 pounds shrimp (large), deveined and with shell removed
• 1 to 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of salt (coarse preferred)
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (extra virgin, highest-quality possible...It makes a big difference to get good olive oil)
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 8 slices of lemon to be used as a garnish when serving

Directions

• Step 1
  Preheat grill for medium heat.
• Step 2
  In a small bowl, crush the garlic with the salt. Mix in cayenne pepper and paprika, and then stir in olive oil and lemon juice to form a paste. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with garlic paste until evenly coated.
• Step 3
  Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve.