Friday, April 20, 2012

So Sue Me Grilled Garlic Shrimp


Grilled garlic shrimp & rice 006


In celebration of the launch of
Michael Lee West's 9th book,

"A Teeny Bit of Trouble"
I've made
*So Sue Me Grilled Garlic Shrimp*

Teeny Templeton, star of the series,
and owner of the eatery
'The Picky Palate'
gets into more trouble!

She cooks up imaginary lethal foods
with hilariously funny names to
exact some mental
revenge on those who have wronged her.
I promise you, this is one of the BEST grilled shrimp
recipes I have EVER tasted!
They're so good, they should be
Illegal!!!
(thus the name "So Sue Me...)

I hope you try them because every time I've served it,
guests request the recipe.

The original version
(from Williams-Sonoma Grilling Book)
calls for 12-16 WHOLE cloves of garlic
to be put between the shrimp on the skewers!!
Yikes!

I never bother with doing it like that
because it would be a waste...
Nobody here wants to eat the whole cloves of garlic!


I just make the marinade with lots of
the minced garlic in it &
put only the shrimp on the skewers to cook.
Sometimes, I'll add red onion &/or tomatoes in betw
een.
You need to use items that will cook quickly,
as the shrimp take only about 6-8 minutes.


Grilled garlic shrimp & rice 001

I will give you the original recipe as it is written,

just in case you're brave, like Teeny &

want to try it with ALL

the whole garlic cloves on the skewers.


Grilled Garlic Shrimp
12-16 large whole cloves garlic, (for the skewers) plus 3 large cloves of garlic, minced for the marinade 2# large or jumbo shrimp (prawns if you can find them) 1/8 cup olive oil 1/4 cup tomato sauce (pureed tomatoes) 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil (or fresh, if you have it) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (don't over do this unless you like them very spicy!)

If you are going to grill the whole cloves of garlic along with the shrimp, first drop them into a saucepan of rapidly boiling water & blanch them for 3 minutes. Set aside. Peel & devein the shrimp. In a large zip lock bag, stir together the oil, tomato sauce
, vinegar, basil, minced garlic, salt & cayenne pepper.
Add the shrimp 1/2 hour before you are ready to cook them & toss to coat evenly.

I made the marinade ahead of time in a gallon size zip lock bag. The shrimp then goes into the bag just prior to grill time & is easy to turn while you refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
You can leave it for a little longer without a problem but not TOO long, as the vinegar will start to break down the tender shrimp, like ceviche.



Prepare your grill by oiling the racks. Remove shrimp from the marinade. Reserve the little bit of marinade. Thread the shrimp & garlic cloves (if you're going to be using them) onto the skewers. Bend each shrimp almost in half, so that the large end nearly touches the smaller tail end. Insert the skewer just above the tail so that is passes through the body twice.

Grilled garlic shrimp & rice 002

Arrange the skewers on the rack.
I hope you can see from the photo above
that these skewers are FLAT
on each side.
It prevents the foods from spinning &
makes turning the skewers easier.
Grill, turning them frequently &
brushing two or three times
with the reserved marinade until the
shrimp become pink, 6-8 minutes.
Grilled garlic shrimp & rice 007




Any raw meat or fish can contaminate a
marinade with bacteria & you don't want
to apply it at the last minute without
allowing time for it to cook thoroughly.


Be sure to
cook the shrimp for a few more minutes
after the last application of marinade!
Discard any leftover marinade.

Grilled garlic shrimp & rice 005

Serve warm as an entree
or chilled as appetizers

(your preference)
with or without cocktail sauce.
It is delicious either way.

Print recipe HERE.

Peaches also play a big role in Teeny's adventures.

"A few months ago, on a balmy June night, I walked into a
Charleston pub & ordered a peach martini"
"You had me at peaches" she tells her former boyfriend, Coop.
Good Earth table 018

Since we had children at the table,
(go HERE to see the entire tablescape)
I made Virgin PEACH Bellinis instead
using Crystal Light's ® newest flavor.

Easter 001

Congratulations to Michael Lee on her
9th book!


It's a mystery series, which include
last year's “Gone With a Handsomer Man”

for which I made Teeny's Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake

The books adventures are set around Charleston, South Carolina, in the fictional town of Bonaventure, Georgia (a little Savannah).
They involve bulldogs, comic situations, mysteries, romance, food galore, Rainbow Row & lots of red velvet cake.
I was fortunate enough to get an audio copy of the first book
so I have Teeny's lovely Southern drawl still in my head!

Be sure to *pop over* (pun intended)
to Foodie Friday to see
what others are making in celebration of
Teeny's newest adventures!

I'm also joining The Tablescaper for
Seasonal Sundays
&
Yvonne at StoneGable for
On The Menu Monday.


22 comments:

  1. Rett,
    Sounds wonderful. I have the book on my Kindle but need a block of time to read. This weekend is supposed to be stormy so perhaps I shall curl up on the sofa and have a good read.

    I wish Jack liked shrimp a bit more because I would love them prepared that way.

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    hugs,
    Carol

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    Replies
    1. I bet you could convert him with THIS recipe, Carol...he would LOVE it!!! It has complex spicy & flavorful tastes that aren't like just plain, bland cold shrimp.

      You could make the marinade & put chicken in the bag for him & shrimp in there for you. I've used it on chicken & it is good that way, too.

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  2. Rett, I adore shrimp,and just saw on Dr.Oz's show that shrimp are good for the heart and arteries! Now I really love them. I love grilled shrimp the best, and I think I might be tempted to grill the garlic cloves - mellows it out and can be spread on toasty baguette. xo

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  3. Rett, think I'm going to make these this weekend. Looks delicious! Thanks for the kind comments on my post. It's always fun to work with one of ML's books. No new camera. Perhaps I'm improving my skills, but I think Blogger's new format that allows extra-large images is key.
    Sarah

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  4. I look forward to reading the new book - and these shrimp look like Friday night supper to me!

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  5. I'm totally dying here - could eat every one of those luscious shrimp all by myself!

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  6. Lovely! Wish they were at my table! Thanks for sharing Joann

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  7. Sounds like a really great book, Rett! I have made grilled shrimp kabobs before but it never occurred to me to use small veggies since the shrimp cook fast. Mine are always dried out!! Great pictures! Yum!

    XO,
    Jane

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  8. Rett~ Your Sue Me Shrimp Skewers are so pretty & colorful! I'll look forward to trying this recipe~ I might skewer a few garlic cloves too :)

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  9. Well as Teeny would say, Skewer you! LOL
    They look delicious, Rett. I love shrimp, and used to order scampi all the time. Then I realized I got sick every time I ate garlic! So though I love it, the smell of it cooking for sauce is divine, I can't eat it.
    I'll have one of those drinks though, virgin right?

    And you are welcome, St. Loretta, I can tell you how to make things, but you are on your own with the measurements! :)
    Hope dh is doing ok, no news is good news? Have a great weekend!

    And we were on the same page with our posts, sue me, lawyers, LOL!

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  10. I LOVE grilled shrimp and will definitely try your recipe, Rett. Thanks so much.

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  11. Your shrimp looks fabulous, Rett! Love the idea of the crystal lite martinis and peach bellinis. You've made me hungry!
    Beth

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  12. My, my.......this is a dish I can't wait to try! I never seem to come across enough shrimp recipes that "all" of my family like~ this looks like a winner~ thanks so much!!

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  13. I've been looking for a good shrimp recipe, and I especially like this one because it's grilled. Can't wait to try it. And thanks for commenting on my Eater table and stopping by for a visit!

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  14. Hi Rett, This recipe sounds delicious! My husband loves garlic and shrimp so I may use the entire clove as called for! I have flat skewers too and will never go back to the round--so much easier I think and the metal helps cook the food inside faster. I read the book--almost in one sitting so I could see what happened! It must have been fun to hear a recording. Linda

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  15. The shrimp sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I love doing books on tape while in the car...takes you out of all of that traffic! This one sounds like a good one! Have a great week!...hugs...Debbie

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  16. Great name! I love shrimp and this sounds like a great recipe. I think I'm with you on grilling whole cloves of garlic - I'd rather have them minced in the marinade.

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  17. Rett! This is a goldmine of recipes I love! I will try this shrimp when we pull out the "barbie"! Everytime I have wanted to grill the weather has not cooperated!
    I could use a peach bellini ( with the real stuff) right now and it is only 12:30 in the afternoon! Don't you just hate to get a negative letter from a reader first thing in the am?
    Now I'm off to see your whole tablescape.
    Lots of love!

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  18. HI Rett! This recipe sounds wonderful, we LOVE shrimp and will make this soon (when it stops raining and gets warmer)!!! It is COLD here right now and Sat. night it was 78 degress. Oh well, at least it isn't SNOWING!!!!!!!!! I want to try the peach bellini too!! Thanks so much. XO, Pinky

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  19. That shrimp photo looks so good it is almost "art"! I don't have the new book yet, but I can't wait to read it!

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  20. I love grilling shrimp so I'm always up for a new recipe. Love the touch of the red onion.

    Wonderful to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays. Be sure to visit my most recent post to learn of my GIVEAWAY.

    - The Tablescaper

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  21. Great marinade, beautiful colors . Please share this on my foodie friday linky today.

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~