Grilled Garlic Rosemary Shrimp

On the Central Coast of California, grilling season doesn’t really exist.  It’s always a good time of year to grill!

This shrimp is really tasty and stands alone as a main dish, makes a great filling for tacos, or would be a really nice appetizer.  If you are using frozen shrimp, always thaw shrimp under refrigeration or in a colander under constantly cold running water (it won’t take long, but we have a drought!).

Shrimp only take a few minutes to cook, so I recommend having everything else ready to go so they can go right to the table.

GRILLED GARLIC ROSEMARY SHRIMP

If you are using frozen shrimp, start this recipe about 8 hours before you want to cook the shrimp so it has time to thaw and marinate.

Yield: 4 4-ounce servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 1 6-inch spring fresh rosemary, leaves removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound raw shrimp, deveined, tail-on

Directions:

1. Place garlic, rosemary leaves, olive oil and salt in a blender.  Blend until smooth.
2. In a shallow dish, toss the shrimp with rosemary mixture, coating the shrimp completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours (or until the shrimp is thawed if you are using frozen).
3. Prepare your grill for medium heat. I use a grill basket to grill my shrimp.  Spray a grill basket with pan release and toss it on the grill to heat up.  Add the shrimp and let them cook for about 3 minutes or until they turn pink but remain tender (they will continue cooking off the grill).  Serve immediately.

Note: If you don’t have a grill basket, use wooden  skewers or the stems from the rosemary.  Simply soak them in water for a few minutes before spearing them through the shrimp, from head to tail.  Grill both sides of the shrimp, about 1 1/2 minutes each.