Recipe: Charcoal-Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Lemon-Garlic Sauce

In today's Buffalo News, I recommend "The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook." 

America's Test Kitchen has been helping home cooks work smarter for a decade. Unlike the Food Network's offerings, which increasingly rely on competitions and celebrity to hold viewer interest, ATK's hosts concentrate on delivering useful information gleaned from vetting the recipe.

Here's one recipe that shows the careful tweaking of America's Test Kitchen cooks. The shrimp gets a dusting of sugar to help it caramelize on the grill. Immediately after grilling, the shrimp are tossed in sauce that's been cooking alongside it.

Simple but powerfully tasty, it's the sort of platter that wins over a table, served with lemon wedges and the editors' recommendation, grilled bread.

Charcoal-Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Spicy Lemon-Garlic Sauce
From "The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook"

1 1/2 pounds extra large (21-25 per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil for brushing shrimp
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Vegetable oil for brushing grate
For the sauce:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter cut in 4 pieces
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed, about 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Lemon wedges, for serving

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread the shrimp onto three skewers, alternating directions of heads and tails. Brush both sides of the shrimp with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle one side of each skewer with the sugar.

Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal (about 6 quarts) and allow to burn until the coals are covered with a layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Open the bottom vent on the grill. Build a modified two-level fire by arranging the coals over half of the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill, and heat the grate until hot, about 5 minutes. Use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean. Dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding the wad with tongs, oil the cooking grate.

For the sauce: Combine butter, lemon juice, garlic, pepper flakes and salt in a 10-inch disposable aluminum pan. Cook over the grill, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, about 1 1/2 minutes; remove from heat.

Place the shrimp skewers, sugared sides down, on the hot side of the grate and use tongs to push the shrimp together on the skewers if they have separated. Grill the shrimp, uncovered, until lightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip and grill until the second side is pink and slightly translucent, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Using a potholder or oven mitt, carefully lift each skewer from the grill and use tongs to slide the shrimp off the skewers into the pan with the sauce. Toss the shrimp and sauce to combine and transfer to the hot side of the grill; cook, stirring, until the shrimp are opaque and fully cooked, about 30 seconds. Remove from the grill, add parsley, and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with the lemon wedges.

Comments

[McBea]

Great...a charcoal grilling recipe in December when there is snow on the ground. I love to watch America's Test Kitchen...they have so many great ideas. Couldn't you have found one a little more timely to share.

[Andrew Galarneau]

I grill outside in the winter once or twice a month. I might be nuts, but I'm not alone.

[sarımsak hapı]

as garlic and vitamin-rich foods and natural antibiotics to me he has an excellent flavor and we like turkey, we are frequently consumed.