Great Shrimp from the Grill
Put these shrimp on the barbie, and you’ll put them there again and again.
The recipe is from my friend and former colleague in the food section of the Los Angeles Times, Mary Ellen Rae.
Mary Ellen is now giving cooking classes, catering parties and private cheffing through her company, Personal Touch Gourmet.
The shrimp are one of her most popular party appetizers. (I tasted them at a holiday party at her home and couldn’t get them out of my mind, they were so good.)
Infused with lemony flavors associated with Thai and Indonesian cooking, they also taste of fresh dill, a seasoning from another part of the globe.
The recipe is really convenient. Part of the marinade seasons the shrimp. The rest becomes a dipping sauce.
If you’re not an outdoor cook, you can grill the shrimp with equal success on a stovetop grill pan (that’s what I do). Skewer them on decorative bamboo picks for a party appetizer, or serve them over fragrant jasmine rice at a summer buffet.
For more information about Mary Ellen’s classes, go to http://www.personaltouchgourmet.net.
LEMONGRASS AND DILL GRILLED SHRIMP
(From Mary Ellen Rae of Personal Touch Gourmet)
1 pound shrimp (21 to 24 to a pound)
3 lemongrass stalks
1/3 cup chopped dill
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
Preheat the barbecue grill.
Peel and devein the shrimp.
Remove the tough outer leaves of each lemongrass stalk and trim the stem end. Finely dice the bottom 4 inches of each stalk. Discard the leafy tops.
Place the lemongrass, dill, garlic, shallot, salt and rice vinegar in a blender or food processor.
While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Blend until smooth. Add more salt if wanted.
Reserve half of the marinade to use as a dipping sauce. Coat the shrimp with the remaining marinade and set aside for 15 minutes.
The shrimp can also be prepared in advance and marinated in the refrigerator. In this case, remove them from the refrigerator and let them stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.
Grill the shrimp 2 to 3 minutes on each side or just until no longer translucent in the center.
Serve on bamboo picks with the dipping sauce.
Makes 8 appetizer servings.
