Grilled Herb Shrimp

One of the best things about the unseasonably warm April we've had is that it's allowed us to get outside and grill quite a bit.  I don't recall ever being out grilling regularly so early in the year before.  It thrills me to no end as grilling is among my favorite things about summer.  What's not to love?  Shane does almost all of the grilling at our house so it frees me up to do other things inside - make sides to go with dinner, clean, watch the start of the Red Sox game...  Plus, the oven isn't heating an already warm house up even further and there are fewer pans to wash after we eat.  Best of all, the food just tastes so good - I love the char on grilled food!



We don't usually grill shrimp much but the other night I needed a fast dinner option and this one fit the bill.  You do need to plan ahead as the shrimp have to marinate for at least an hour, but the actual cooking time is less than 5 minutes.  As I made this recipe I realized the reason we don't grill shrimp more often is probably because I think skewering them is sort of a pain and I don't find putting a ton of shrimp on the grill to cook individually very practical (by the time you get the last one on the first one is overcooked).  That said, these shrimp were delicious and definitely something I'll make again this summer!  I was only able to marinate them for an hour and they still had a ton of flavor.  This was also my first opportunity to use the herbs I'm growing on my deck so that was pretty exciting - I can't believe how well they're doing! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend :) 

Grilled Herb Shrimp
from Ina Garten (via FoodNetwork.com)

2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

Place the shrimp in a resealable plastic bag.  Add all of the other ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.  Pour the marinade into the bag with the shrimp and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour or  for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Skewer the shrimp.  If you are using wooden skewers you may want to soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand (there's an interesting discussion here about whether soaking is necessary).  Light your grill and adjust the gas (or coals) for medium heat.  Brush the grill grates with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking.  Grill the shrimp for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until they are opaque and cooked through (if you're using smaller shrimp than the ones recommended in the recipe, they won't need quite as much time).