Chapter One
Shrimp on
the Grill
I love to grill shrimp in the kitchen on an electric grill, but I
really prefer cooking outside with chunk charcoal or wood. A
simple open grill, such as a cast-iron hibachi, is all you need.
Or merely rig a rack over some coals pulled away from a campfire.
Some beaches provide picnic tables and open camp grills,
and these can be used to grill fresh shrimp purchased nearby.
Be warned that small shrimp tend to fall through the slats
of a grill. For this reason, large or jumbo shrimp are easier to
grill, using tongs to turn them a time or two. Special small-mesh
nonstick grates can also be used to contain smaller shrimp. Or
you can use grilling baskets, which make smaller shrimp easier
to turn. And don't forget kabobs, covered in chapter 9. In any
case, turning small shrimp one at a time doesn't work too well,
partly because the first of the batch will be done before you finish
turning the rest.
For best results, cook the shrimp close to the heat source
for 2 or 3 minutes on each side. This quick, hot cooking limits
the application of smoke; on the other hand, the delicate flavor
of fresh shrimp is easily overpowered by too much smoke. I usually
prefer to grill shrimp in the shell, head and all, but this
method doesn't work well with marinades. Beheaded shrimp
and fully peeled shrimp will absorb more of the flavor of the
marinade, if that's what you want. Deveined but unpeeled
shrimp also pick up a lot of marinade.
The chef host of a TV show I once saw not only peeled and
deveined the shrimp destined for his grill but also removed the
tails. Why? He said they could be dangerous. His thinking was
that someone might mistakenly eat the tails. Well, he should
know that some people eat the tails on purpose, believing that
they're just as good as fish fins. I would also like to point out
that shrimp are often eaten shells and all in parts of Asia.
Here are some recipes to try. It's an honest selection,
reflecting my belief that shrimp taste better than marinade and
that usually 4 ingredients work better than 30.
SOY SHRIMP
Here's a favorite from the great American culinary sport James
Beard. It calls for splitting the shrimp shell down the back with
scissors and removing the vein. The shell and tail are left on. I
also leave the heads intact, but suit yourself. By splitting the
shell, of course, you allow the marinade to penetrate the meat.
1 1/2 pounds beheaded raw
shrimp, jumbo (2 pounds
heads-on shrimp)
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1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sake or dry vermouth
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Split and devein the shrimp as described on page 28. Put the
shrimp into nonmetallic container. Mix the soy sauce and sake,
then pour the mix over the shrimp. Toss about to coat all sides.
Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, tossing a time or two.
Rig for grilling over high heat. Grill the shrimp for 3 or 4 minutes,
turning once. Serve hot in the shell, along with several dipping
sauces. Feeds 2 to 4.
HONEY SHRIMP
Owing to the marinade, this dish works better with shrimp that
have been deveined but not shucked, as in the Beard recipe above.
1 1/2 pounds beheaded raw
shrimp, extra large or jumbo
(2 pounds heads-on shrimp)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup freshly squeezed
lemon juice
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1/4 cup melted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(or to taste)
salt to taste
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Using all the ingredients except the shrimp and melted butter,
mix a marinade and pour it over the shrimp in a nonmetallic
container. Toss about to coat all sides. Marinate in the refrigerator
for 1 hour or a little longer, turning several times. Rig for
grilling over coals or gas. The heat should be quite high. Grease
the grilling rack. Dip each shrimp into the melted butter and
place it on the grill, working quickly. Grill for 2 minutes, turn,
and baste with melted butter. Grill for another 2 minutes or so,
turn, baste, and check for doneness. The shrimp should be nicely
pink with a brown spot or two. Do not overcook. Serve hot.
Feeds 2 as a main course, or several as an appetizer.
SHRIMP MOZAMBIQUE
Several countries in both East and West Africa use a hot chili and
oil sauce for marinating and basting seafoods. It's especially good
as a baste for grilled large shrimp. This particular recipe is from
Mozambique, where grilling over an open fire or charcoal is popular.
I like to use small red Tabasco or cayenne peppers freshly
picked from my own garden, but use any fresh red chili peppers
of your choice. Be careful, though: Some of these peppers are
pure fire. If you need to dilute the peppers, add more oil or butter
and lemon juice to the measures below. Remember that the
peppers should be seeded and the hot pith removed from the
inside. And don't forget to wear rubber gloves or wash your hands
when you're done; the pepper oil will burn you. Use large shrimp
that have been beheaded, peeled, and deveined. Leave the tails
on, but do not butterfly. You'll need a grill large enough to hold all
the shrimp without overlapping them. The grill need not have a
cover, making it easy to rig any sort of rack over hot coals.
2 pounds beheaded raw jumbo
shrimp, shucked, with tails
left on*
4 fresh hot red chili peppers
1 cup olive oil
juice of 2 medium to
large lemons
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4 cloves garlic, crushed
and minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
parsley or cilantro
salt and black pepper to taste
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The night before cooking, seed and chop the chili peppers,
being careful to remove the inner pith (which contains lots of
heat). Mix the chopped peppers with the lemon juice, garlic, and
parsley in a small bowl. Refrigerate overnight.
Rig for grilling over charcoal or wood coals. Heat the hot
pepper sauce with the olive oil in a small pot, keeping it warm
for use as a basting sauce. When the coals are ready, adjust the
rack to about 4 inches above the heat. Arrange the shrimp close
together but do not overlap. Grill for 2 minutes—but do not
cover. Baste lightly, turn the shrimp quickly, and grill for 2 minutes.
Baste and turn again, cooking for 1 minute, or until done.
Do not overcook. Serve hot. Feeds 2 to 4.
* If you start with heads-on shrimp, you'll need 4 pounds.
AUSTRALIAN TIGER PRAWNS
The Australians have their own terms for cookery, and
American books on the subject don't always make things clear.
A crawfish is a yabbie. A grill is a barbie. To broil (under the
heat) is to grill, and a broiler is a griller. A broiling pan is a barbecue
plate. One pretty cookbook has several recipes for
prawns—but shrimp isn't even listed in the index, an omission
that might well cost us some good cooking. (See the
Hemingway recipe on page 41 for more complaints about
indexing.) Yet shrimp paste and dried shrimp are discussed in a
glossary. In any case, the Aussies are fond of grilled seafood,
whatever it's called.
2 pounds fully peeled and
deveined raw shrimp, jumbo*
1 cup butter
1/4 cup freshly squeezed
lime juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
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1 tablespoon grated fresh
gingerroot
1 tablespoon grated onion
finely ground sea salt to taste
Hungarian paprika
lime halves (for garnish)
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Rig for grilling over charcoal or wood coals, or perhaps on an
electric indoor grill. Melt the butter and stir in all the ingredients
except the shrimp, lime halves, and paprika. Place all the
shrimp on the grill and baste with butter sauce. Grill for 2 minutes.
Turn, baste, and grill for 2 minutes. Turn, baste again, and
cook for another minute, or until the shrimp are nicely pink.
Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Serve with lime halves. Feeds 4.
* It's best to clean your own, starting with 3 pounds of beheaded shrimp or 4
pounds of heads-on shrimp.
GOOD OL' BOY GRILLED SHRIMP
This tasty treat works best with fully peeled shrimp and thin-sliced
bacon. Thickly sliced bacon takes too long to cook; if you
do use it, cook it in a skillet until it's about half done. Because
the bacon will drip, these taste treats are best cooked on a large
grill and moved about as needed, making this a hands-on kind
of cooking. It's true that cooking these in a grill with a closed
hood will help prevent flare-ups, but the results won't be quite
the same.
extra-large shrimp, shucked
thin-sliced bacon
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lemon-pepper seasoning salt
beer
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Rig for grilling over charcoal or gas heat. Sprinkle each shrimp
lightly with lemon-pepper seasoning salt, wrap in half a strip
of thin bacon, and secure with round toothpicks. Dip each
shrimp quickly into the beer. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning
from time to time and moving about with tongs. Servings?
Allow 1/2 pound of shucked shrimp and a beer or two for each
person.
Note: Try cooking these with a long stick over a beach fire.
Omit the seasoning salt, but dip the bacon-wrapped shrimp in
seawater before grilling.
SAIGON SHRIMP
This easy recipe calls for whole shrimp that have been deveined,
partly to permit some of the marinade to get inside. Jumbo
shrimp work best for deveining. If you must, use beheaded
shrimp, in which case the deveining step can be omitted because
the shrimp will be open on their big end to the marinade.
1 1/2 pounds beheaded raw shrimp,
jumbo (2 pounds heads-on
shrimp)
1/4 cup lime juice
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1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground
white pepper
dipping sauce
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Devein the shrimp and place them into a nonmetallic container.
Mix the lime juice, sea salt, and white pepper. Pour over the
shrimp, cover, and let the shrimp marinate for 20 minutes or so.
As they marinate, rig for grilling over charcoal. Arrange the
shrimp on the grate and grill for 2 minutes on each side. Serve
hot with a suitable dipping sauce, such as Nuoc Cham on page
177. Feeds 2 or more.
A. D.'S POMEGRANATE SHRIMP
I'm fond of cooking with the juice from pomegranate seeds, and
with a sweet-and-sour syrup made from the juice. Some of the
pomegranate molasses imported from the Middle East can be
used, but in my experience these concoctions, or at least some
of them, have a cloudy color and an off taste. I think they're
made from the whole pomegranate, squeezing the pulp as well
as the seeds. In any case, fresh pomegranates can be obtained in
American supermarkets. I am fortunate enough to have my own
trees, and I was raised on a farm with five trees, all with pomegranates
of a slightly different tartness.
1 1/2 pounds beheaded raw
shrimp, extra large (2 pounds
heads-on shrimp)
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1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground
white pepper
dipping sauce
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Rig for grilling over charcoal. While you're waiting for the coals
to heat up, cut into the pomegranate (or break it in two if it has
split open on the tree) and remove all the seeds from the pulp,
being careful not to get the juice onto your clothing—it will
stain. Divide the seeds into two piles, discarding the peeling and
inner pith. Using a mortar or sieve, mash the juice from one of
the piles; strain out the juice, discarding the pulp. Mix the juice
into the melted butter, and heat to use as a basting sauce.
Reserve the rest of the seeds. Brush the shrimp lightly with the
sauce and place on the grill. Cook for 2 minutes, turn, and baste.
Cook for another 2 minutes, turn, baste again, and sprinkle
lightly with fine sea salt. Cook for another minute or so, or until
the shrimp are nicely pink. Serve hot on a bed of rice, along
with grilled eggplant and other go-withs. Garnish with the rest
of the pomegranate seeds. I allow at least 3/4 pound of beheaded
shrimp per person, but you can get by with a smaller amount if
you have plenty of eggplant.
MESQUITE SHRIMP
Some chefs make much ado about what kind of wood chips to
use for flavoring meat on the grill and even set forth all kinds of
subtle descriptions of flavor. I won't say these people are dishonest;
they just have a vivid imagination and (like wine critics)
a large vocabulary of adjectives. I think any good hardwood will
do for cooking shrimp or even fish. Most people simply buy a
bag of chips at the supermarket and use them as needed, with
or without soaking them in water. I prefer freshly cut wood
chips or chunks. But it just doesn't make that much difference,
at least not to me.
If you have guests coming for a shrimp feed, however, you
can't go wrong by dropping the name mesquite or mesquite-smoked
shrimp. Purists, of course, will point out that mesquite
is far too robust for shrimp, and that what you really need for
shrimp and escargots is the sweet mellowness of maple. Suit
yourself, but remember that shrimp cook very quickly, and they
don't pick up much smoke in 3 or 4 minutes. Cooking them
longer, over indirect heat, tends to make them dry and tough,
and too much smoke overpowers the natural flavor. In any case,
it's best to peel the shrimp for this one.
1 1/2 pounds beheaded raw
shrimp, jumbo (2 pounds
heads-on shrimp; 1 pound
fully dressed shrimp)
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1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground
white pepper
dipping sauce
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Soak some hardwood chips in water. Rig for grilling over gas or
charcoal, or perhaps on an outdoor electric grill. Behead and
shuck the shrimp, saving the heads and peelings for stock (page
181) if wanted. Devein if you must. Mix the lemon juice and
melted butter. Place the shrimp onto the hot grate. Baste lightly.
Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Turn, baste lightly, sprinkle lightly
with sea salt, and grill for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are
nicely pink. Serve hot, along with a dipping sauce. Servings? I
allow 3/4 pound of beheaded shrimp per person.
A. D.'S GRILLING MACHINE SHRIMP
I'm fond of using the George Foreman grilling machine (which
cooks top and bottom at the same time, like a waffle iron) for
cooking a few large shrimp for myself or possibly for a meal for
two. It's very, very easy, and tasty. This method of cooking isn't
really grilling, but it doesn't fit into the other chapters either.
Any good basting recipe can be used, but I like to keep it simple,
using a few fresh herbs from my garden.
beheaded raw shrimp or fresh dill weed
heads-on shrimp, lemon juice
large or jumbo
Preheat the grilling machine. Place the shrimp close together
and baste lightly with lemon juice. Lay two or three sprigs of dill
over the shrimp. Close the hood and cook for 2 or 3 minutes,
depending on the size of your shrimp. Do not overcook. Serve
hot with vegetables, salad, and so on. Have on the table two
hand mills loaded with peppercorns and coarse sea salt for
those who want to grind a twist or two of either. I allow at least
3/4 pound of beheaded shrimp per person.
Note that the smaller-sized grilling machine doesn't hold
enough shrimp to feed even one big eater. The largest size works
best for shrimp, burgers, steaks, and most other food if two or
more people are to be served. Of course, these things cook very
quickly, making it practical to cook more than one batch.
Copyright © 2001 A. D. Livingston.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1-58080-090-4
The latest book from Livingston (Strictly Steak), food columnist for Gray's Sporting Journal, offers more than 100 delectable recipes for shrimp, from The World's Best Cold Shrimp to Apalachicola Gumbo (from the author's home ground, the Florida Panhandle) to Burmese Tiger Prawns. Livingston has a forthright style, a rather sly sense of humor, and a great deal of enthusiasm for his subject, and his "passionate guide" is recommended for most collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Having done nearly all there is to do with red meat in his past seven cookbooks (including Strictly Steak and Strictly Barbecue), Livingston now turns to the humble crustacean. His approach is as studious as ever, culling recipes from sources ranging from The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam to The Hemingway Cookbook. Livingston's men's-club humor is quirky; he notes, for instance, that a true Cajun would never bother to devein the shrimp for an étouffée, "unless perhaps he is courting." The introduction enumerates ways to buy shrimp, from block-frozen in ice to precooked in a can. Livingston then explores his subject's encounters with every conceivable heat source. Broiler, boiler, wok, deep-fryer, skillet, skewer, steamer and grill are all pressed into service to create exotic dishes from a panoply of nations (Burma to Cameroon), as well as the more familiar Scampi, Breaded Shrimp and Shrimp Cocktail. Recipes for boiling shrimp are closely examined; in addition to the classic spicy varieties, a Scandinavian version adds just sea salt and dill to the water, while a Mayan concoction uses lime and annatto seeds. And for those who prefer spicier cuisine, Aztec Shrimp Soup is made from a puree of chilies. Comprehensive and amusing, this book should delight all shrimp lovers. (May) Forecast: Given shrimp's popularity, even among many seafood-phobes, Livingston's latest will especially interest shrimp lovers along the Gulf Coast. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
