Polynesian Grilled Shrimp

Summer is in full swing and I am loving pretty much everything about it!

While there really isn't a season that is strong enough to scare my husband away from his beloved grill, things definitely ramp up in that area around our house this time of year...which, as I've mentioned a time or two before, is fun for me in that I get to make (and enjoy) fun side dishes...but generally speaking I couldn't care less about the meat itself coming off of that grill.

I decided to mix things up a little bit for dinner last night- in addition to the trip-tip and sausage my husband was grilling I made up some fun flatbread pizzas (more on those soon) and these Polynesian Grilled Shrimp from the most recent edition of Allrecipes Magazine.  This month the magazine had all kinds of fun ideas, but the section tiki-inspired dishes really caught my eye.  Since I still had a couple of pounds of that delicious shrimp from the coast in the freezer (the same kind I used in that Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil) the Polynesian Shrimp recipe seemed like a perfect place to start- though there are several more recipes from that section that I can't wait to try too!

I made zero changes to this recipe with the exception of decided to grill the shrimp with the shell on.  It's easy to overcook and dry out a shrimp when you're cooking it, especially with the high heat of a grill.  Kenji López-Alt of The Food Lab backs me up on this one- cooking the shrimp in their shells helps to keep them juicier and more tender because the "shells act as a temperature buffer, helping to keep the meat from overcooking while developing plenty of flavor in the shells themselves."

So I skewered them shell-on and peeled after cooking.  No extra work, right?

One other note- the original recipe says to marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours and I did marinate for an hour and a half.  Personally I would marinate for at least 4 hours next time to really let that flavor develop- I also would consider doubling the marinade and using half of it to marinade the shrimp and half of it to reduce down and maybe thicken with corn starch for dipping the shrimp in when it is served.

Just a thought- because that marinade is SO GOOD.

Mango nectar (find it either in your juice aisle or in the Hispanic foods section), lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sweet chili sauce, and a touch of cayenne.

Yummy, right?

Nothing not to love there.

You could serve this shrimp on salad, on a bed of rice or couscous, as an appetizer with dipping sauce, or even just put it out to nibble on while the rest of the grilled goods are doing their thing on the grill since they cook so quickly!

Enjoy!

Polynesian Grilled Shrimp

Modified slightly from Allrecipes.com

1/3 C mango nectar

2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

2 tsp sweet chili sauce

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

24 (21 to 25 per lb) large shrimp, peeled and deveined (if desired), tails left on

1. Whisk together mango nectar, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, oil, garlic, ginger, chili sauce, and cayenne in a bowl. Add shrimp, turning to coat, and marinate covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, 375 to 450 degrees F (200 to 230 degrees C ). Lightly oil the grate.

3. Lift shrimp from marinade, shaking off excess. Grill shrimp on skewers or in a grill basket until just cooked through, about 1 minute per side.