garlic grilled shrimp

Fish & Seafood

Garlic Grilled Shrimp

Drescription

This simple recipe highlights the sweetness of fresh shrimp, and their comforting flavor when they are marinated and then charred on a hot grill. The technique that separates this recipe from others is grating the garlic over a fine microplane. Microplaning the garlic (instead of just slicing it), leads to an added depth of flavor and intensity.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 pinch chili flakes
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 pound cleaned and deveined shrimp (i prefer to use large, meaty shrimp for this recipe)

Directions

Add the olive oil to a large mixing bowl. Grate the garlic using a fine microplane, and add the grated garlic to the olive oil. Add the chili flakes and sherry vinegar. Use a fine microplane to zest the lemon. Add the zest to the mixing bowl and save the lemon for another use. Mix the contents of the bowl and add the shrimp. Season the shrimp with salt, mix again, and let the shrimp marinate for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.
Get your grill (or grill pan) very hot. Remove the shrimp from the marinade. You can discard any excess marinade. Add the shrimp to the grill in a single, even layer. Do not disturb the shrimp until the underside has become nicely charred with grill marks. Flip the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are just barely cooked through. Do not overcook the shrimp.
Serve the shrimp immediately, with lemon wedges (optional) on the side. Enjoy.

Mediterranean Octopus Salad

Refreshing and light, this salad exposes the most exquisite taste and texture of the octopus due to its freshness and the few accompanying ingredients. What makes this salad so natural is that all the fresh components are local to the octopus' origin, sometimes even sold at the fishmonger's. According to Italian folklore, to get the meat as tender as possible, add a wine bottle cork into the simmering water.