Garlicky with a big kick of cayenne and a lick of lemon; I just hope you make
enough for everyone or you may have a riot on the trail!
Absolutely one of my all time favorites, this dish will please everyone. Easy to make ahead and pack in, these are perfect for trail rustlers after a long day in the saddle. Double up heavy duty freezer bags to pack as the garlic is strong.
Ingredients:
Shrimp is usually marked by how many per pound and how many pounds per bag; most of the time it’s 2 lbs per bag. I buy mine at Costco; it’s named Contessa brand, uncooked and peeled. The rule I use is 8 pieces of shrimp per skewer, 2 skewers per person, so you can extrapolate from this. If you choose to make more per person, all the better as they will be gone before you know it.
2 lbs shrimp, thawed per package instructions
Lemon flavored olive oil
10-15 cloves of garlic crushed
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) cayenne pepper
Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Optional Oregano
Bamboo skewers as needed
To prepare:
Skewer the shrimp and place a layer in the bottom of a dish that you can cover later. On this first layer drizzle with lemon olive oil, then cayenne, and finally garlic. Place another layer of the shrimp and repeat until all of the shrimp is covered in garlic, cayenne and lemon oil.
To grill:
Get the grill fired up and when the coals are covered in white ash you are ready to go. You want a very hot fire so you can get a nice bit of charring. Place the skewered shrimp over the coals and cover with the grill lid; if you don’t, the olive oil will flare up and burn the shrimp. After 2-3 minutes lift the lid and turn the shrimp once. Grill for another 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp have just turned opaque orange. Be careful not to overcook them or the shrimp will become tough. When done place in a container and cover the shrimp until ready to serve. When serving you can add salt and pepper to taste; the salt really brings out the flavors. As stated above, the oregano is optional before grilling, just add it to the shrimp skewer mix before cooking.
To go with:
Side dishes that you can serve with this are skewered and grilled sweet onions, mushrooms, and red and green bell peppers. I also like to bake foil-wrapped potatoes on the grill, too, but they do take a while to cook, sometimes up to one hour. The veggies are much faster, but grill them before the shrimp. That way everything will be hot when shrimp are done.
