To avoid the hassle of removing the shells, we went with peeled shrimp for our grilled shrimp recipe and then crammed them onto a skewer, which prevented them from overcooking.
We took the shrimp off of the grill before they were completely cooked and finished cooking them in a heated sauce waiting on the cool side of the grill; this final simmer gave our broiled shrimp recipe tons of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21/25), peeled and deveined, tails left on.
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil for brushing skewers.
- Salt and ground black pepper.
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar.
- 1 recipe Spicy Lemon-Garlic Sauce, Charmoula Sauce, or Fresh Tomato Sauce with Feta and Olives (see recipes below).
- Lemon wedges for serving.
Directions
Step 1
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread shrimp onto 3 skewers, alternating direction of heads and tails.
Brush both sides of shrimp with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle one side of each skewer with sugar.
Step 2
Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, or about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes.
Empty coals into grill; build modified two-level fire by arranging coals to cover one-half of grill, piling them about 3 briquettes high, leaving other half empty.
Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush.
Step 3
Set disposable aluminum pie plate with sauce ingredients over hot side of grill and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 1 1/2 minutes; transfer plate to cooler side of grill.
Place shrimp skewers, sugared sides down, on hot side of grate; use tongs to push shrimp together on skewer if they have separated. Grill shrimp, uncovered, until lightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.
Using tongs, flip and grill until second side is pink and slightly translucent, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Step 4
Using potholder or oven mitt, carefully lift each skewer from grill; use tongs to slide shrimp off skewers into pie plate with sauce.
Toss shrimp and sauce to combine and transfer pie plate to hot side of grill; cook, stirring, until shrimp are opaque and fully cooked, about 30 seconds.
Remove from grill, add remaining sauce ingredients and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and serve immediately with lemon wedges.