Our plump and juicy grilled Chili Key Lime shrimp are packed with so much flavor that you don’t realize you’re eating lite.
- 40-50 large, peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon of key lime zest
- juice from 1 key lime
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions
- 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Fresh ground black pepper blend to taste
- bamboo skewers (soaked overnight)
Shrimp can easily dry out or become rubbery when grilled. The trick to avoiding this is using baking soda and making sure your shrimp are dry before grilling. Let’s get started.
Mix your baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Peel and devein your shrimp. Then, pat dry. Add the shrimp to your dry mixture and toss to coat them. Skewer your shrimp on the bamboo skewers and refrigerate suspended for 1 hour. To suspend your shrimp skewers just place the skewers across a shallow baking dish suspended above the bottom of the dish. This allows the natural air flow in your refrigerator to dry the shrimp further. Do not cover the shrimp while they are in the refrigerator.
While the shrimp are in the refrigerator, set up your Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker for grilling at high heat using the configuration to the left. Be sure to clean and season your grill grates to keep the shrimp from sticking.
Let’s move on to the key lime cilantro grilling sauce. In a medium bowl, combine cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper and scallions. Mix well.
Once the shrimp have dried in the refrigerator, brush both sides of the shrimp with your key lime cilantro grilling sauce. Grill the shrimp for 4 – 5 minutes turning only once or until the shrimp have cooked completely through showing nice grill marks. Remove the shrimp from your cooker and carefully remove the skewers. Toss your shrimp in the remaining grilling sauce. Sprinkle the shrimp with chopped cilantro and minced scallions. Then, serve.
