Garlic Shrimp Kabobs

Last weekend we had our friends Emily and Jason over for dinner.  We hadn't grilled out this season yet (I know...so bad), so we were excited to fire up the grill and hang out outside for a while.  Toby also enjoyed the time outside with everyone.  He's such a good grillin' dog.  (Insert hotdog/grill joke here...I know you wanna...)

We decided to do the first grilled meal right, so we went for surf & turf.  I love the Honey Lime Shrimp I make, but didn't think that would pair well with steak and potatoes, so this time I decided to go garlic.  They were perfect - easy to make and are bursting with flavor.  Add some smokey flavor from the coals on a grill and they're out of this world.  Just look at these babies!

Ingredients
1 pound shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon melted butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 large cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Directions
Mix olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Peel and wash shrimp, then add them to the bowl and marinade.   Cover, and refrigerate for 2-5 hours.

At this point, you can either cook them in a frying pan, or do what we did and skewer them for kabobs.  If you're using wooden skewers, you'll need to soak them in water first so they don't catch on fire.  I filled a cookie sheet with water and submerged the sticks for 15 minutes.

Then skewer 5-6 shrimp per stick.

Lay the kabobs on the grill over simmering coals and cook a few minutes per side, until shrimp turn pink.  You can spoon some of the marinade on the shrimp while they're cooking, but be careful because it'll make the coals flame up!  Then carefully flip shrimp and finish cooking!

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These were the surf half of our surf & turf dinner...and really made the meal.  Give 'em a try next time you heat up the grill!

Honey Lime Shrimp

I come from a long line of shrimp lovers.  My grandpa loves to tell the story of one of the first times they met my mom.  If you know my mamma, you know she's not usually a big eater.  On this first meeting of what would be her future in-laws, they went to an all you can eat seafood restaurant where she apparently made the most of the never-ending shrimp.  The entire table got their money's worth for sure.  Plate...after plate...after plate.  :)

This week, I decided to try a Honey Lime Shrimp recipe, which was perfectly sweet and tangy.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
Zest from 1/2 a large lime
1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 pinch black pepper

1/2 pound shrimp (you could do up to one pound)

Directions

Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add shrimp to marinade and marinate 30 to 60 minutes.

Transfer shrimp to a medium frying pan.  Pour half marinade into pan and simmer on medium a few minutes on each side, or until shrimp turn pink.

Remove shrimp from pan.  Continue simmering remaining marinade for 5-8 minutes for a tasty drizzle.

I served ours with green beans and Garlic & Herb Mashed Cauliflower.  Delicious!

Does this have you in the mood for shrimp?  Check out my Mushroom and Shrimp Pasta in a butter garlic sauce.

Shrimp & Mushroom Pasta

Travis and I love experimenting with different pastas.  This is one of our more recent favorites – a shrimp and mushroom pasta with a butter garlic sauce!  The best part of the dish is that it’s very easy and can feed 4-6 people.

You’ll need:

Thin spaghetti

3/4 to 1 pound of shrimp

8 ounces sliced mushrooms 

4-5 roma tomatoes, chopped

2-3 cloves minced garlic

Butter 

Olive Oil 

Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

First you’re going to cook the shrimp and mushrooms.   Saute shrimp in two batches, each with 1 Tbsp butter, a splash of chicken broth, salt and a little of the garlic you minced.  Once the pan is hot, it’ll only take the shrimp about a minute per side to cook.  Transfer shrimp into a bowl for later.

Once you’ve cooked both batches of shrimp, add another ½ tablespoon of butter and the mushrooms to the pan.  Pour in enough chicken broth to cover the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle with salt and a little more of the minced garlic.  Cook on high, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften. 

Now put it all together!  In a large frying pan, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, tomatoes,  the rest of the minced garlic, and a splash of chicken broth.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to get soft, then add the shrimp. 

Add pasta and mix.  Pour entire dish into a serving bowl and top with Parmesan cheese.  Serve to your household of hungry people!

P.S.  I think this would also be delicious with asparagus, but since Travis isn't a fan, I left it out this time.