july 2, 2020
Ever skip a recipe with “grilled” in the title because you either don’t have a grill or don’t want to bother with grill setup? Me, too, except in this case my grill is currently snoozing and I’m too lazy to replace the tank. Cast iron grill pan to the rescue, and failing that, the oven broiler. Both of these are great substitutes for grilling. Smoky flavor will not be imparted but with items like shrimp which take minutes if not seconds to cook, that won’t matter.
This recipe is super quick and easy. Make the sauce ahead by a couple days and cook the shrimp in a flash. Dinner or appetizer —done.
The sauce is made either in the small bowl of a food processor or in the beaker attachment of your stick blender (my personal favorite and most versatile kitchen tool – see Greek Salad with Orange and Strawberry Vinaigrette). Unlike guacamole, the sauce will not discolor for a couple of days and may be made ahead. The shrimp are not marinated but simply sprinkled with a chile lime seasoning like tajin or even a good quality lemon pepper. This light seafood dish tastes fine at room temperature, so grill ahead while you prepare rest of the meal.
Serve on a bed of colorful greens like my shredded red cabbage and carrot mix and you have a cool summer dish with little heat and effort.
Grilled Shrimp with Herbed Pistachio Sauce
recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company
makes four entree servings, more for appetizers
ingredients
wooden skewers, soaked in water 30-60 minutes ahead
¼ cup raw or roasted pistachios
small to medium avocado
juice of one lime, about 2 tablespoons
½ cup chopped cilantro (italian parsley if desired)
1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
medium clove garlic zested on microplane zester
pinch of fine sea salt
one pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
tajin seasoning or other chile lime salt, or lemon pepper
directions
- In bowl of small food processor, mini chop or beaker attachment of stick blender, combine pistachios, avocado, lime juice, herbs, oil, garlic and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape sides with spatula to incorporate all; season to taste with salt; may be made ahead 2-3 days.
- Thread shrimp onto soaked skewers and season with tajin.
- Heat grill to medium high heat, or use cast iron grill pan on high heat.
- Add shrimp skewers to heat and cook just until shrimp turns pink and firm, about 1-2 minutes per side; alternately, grill shrimp under broiler of oven just until pink and firm.
- Shrimp will continue to cook slightly off heat, so remove as soon as you see less translucence and more pink/white firm flesh.
- Serve shrimp with sauce on the side immediately off heat or allow to sit at room temp while remainder of meal prepared.
