Summer Shrimp

Last Friday, Read and I took the train to Long Island to spend Memorial Day weekend in The Hamptons with his family.  His father’s birthday happened to fall on that Saturday, so Read and I decided to combine our culinary powers to create a birthday feast.  When the sun begins to shine, Read and I dust off the outdoor grill and use it almost daily until fall weather dictates otherwise.  Knowing that Read’s father loves seafood, we decided to grill shrimp and salmon.  Read and I headed out and picked up a beautiful piece of Atlantic salmon and a bag of frozen jumbo (11-14 count) shrimp.  I worked on the shrimp, and Read grilled the salmon.

I know the idea of frozen, pre-packaged shrimp isn’t exactly gourmet, but handled correctly, these shrimp can taste remarkably fresh.  I called my mom for her famous grilled shrimp recipe and caught her at the airport, waiting for a flight to Vegas.  She told me what she remembered, but I’m a big fan of improvising, so all I needed were the basics.

First, the frozen shrimp went into a bowl of water to defrost.  I change out the water about 4 times throughout the defrost process, replacing with room temp water each time.  They should be ready to handle in about 20 minutes.  In a bowl, I combined about 2:1 parts vegetable oil to soy sauce.  I also added a couple tablespoons of honey, a few dashes of Tabasco, and rock salt.  That’s it.  I butterflied the jumbo shrimp, which made them look colossal, and threw them (carefully) into the bowl to marinate.  I know this sounds simple, but they are delicious.  Every time I serve them, they’re a huge hit!

Next, I made a cool cucumber and dill salad to serve with the salmon.  I combined equal parts plain yogurt and sour cream, added fresh dill and paper-thin slices of seedless cucumber, salt and pepper.  When it’s hot outside, this is the perfect compliment to grilled salmon.

Shrimp, salmon, asparagus, and quartered sweet potatoes went down on the grill. We served the bounty on a massive wood chopping block and paired it with a crisp rosé.  It was a perfect summer meal.  Make this shrimp at your next BBQ and people will go crazy.  I’m not kidding, Read’s dad said it was better than lobster…