Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Lemon-Garlic Oil

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Jumbo shrimp threaded flat onto doubled skewers so every one cooks in the same four minutes, grilled naked with just salt and oil, then bathed in raw garlic, lemon and good olive oil the second they come off the fire. Adding the garlic and citrus after the grill instead of before means no scorched garlic, no rubbery acid-cured shrimp — just clean char and a bright, spoonable sauce.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb jumbo shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and deveined, tails on
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 12 bamboo or metal skewers (10-inch)

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, the best you have
• 3 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3 tbsp juice)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Greek
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh dill or mint, chopped
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 4 warm pita or grilled country bread

Instructions

1. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes so they don't burn. Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels — surface moisture is the enemy of char.
2. Toss the dry shrimp in a bowl with the kosher salt and baking soda until evenly coated. Let sit 15 minutes at room temperature (or up to 30 in the fridge). This firms the shrimp and helps them brown fast. Do not add lemon or garlic yet.
3. Thread the shrimp onto doubled skewers: hold two skewers parallel about 1/2 inch apart and push them through each shrimp twice — once near the tail, once through the thick shoulder — so the shrimp is locked flat in a C shape and can't spin. Fit 5 or 6 shrimp per pair, leaving a little space between each. You should end up with 5 to 6 double skewers.
4. Brush the skewered shrimp all over with the neutral oil and season with the black pepper. Set aside while the grill heats.
5. Heat a gas grill to high (about 500°F) or build a charcoal fire and let the coals burn down to a solid layer of gray ash; the grate should be hot enough that you can hold your hand 4 inches above it for only 2 seconds. Scrape the grate clean and wipe it with an oiled paper towel held in tongs.
6. Make the dressing while the grill heats: in a wide, shallow serving dish or platter with a lip, whisk the olive oil, grated garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano and red pepper flakes. Do not add the herbs yet. Leave it at room temperature.
7. Lay the skewers flat on the hot grate and grill, uncovered, for 2 minutes until the undersides are deeply spotted and the edges have turned opaque. Flip with tongs and grill 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, until the shrimp are just opaque at the thickest part and curled tight. Total time on the grill should be about 4 minutes — pull them a hair early, they finish in the dressing.
8. Move the skewers straight from the grill into the dish of lemon-garlic oil and turn them so every side is coated. The residual heat blooms the raw garlic without cooking it bitter. Let them sit 2 minutes, turning once.
9. Scatter the parsley, dill or mint and flaky salt over the top, spoon the pooled dressing back over the shrimp, and serve immediately with lemon wedges and warm pita for mopping the dish.
10. To eat, slide the shrimp off the skewers onto plates and spoon the remaining oil over the top, or serve the skewers whole for people to pull apart at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem