Smoky Paprika Grilled Shrimp

I'm still obsessing about the meal that we had at the Harvest Vine a few weeks back. Just about everything was perfection: from the elegant but rustic decor, the knowledgeable and friendly service, and the food. The standouts, besides the Iberico ham that I talked about before, were the shrimp, wild Gulf shrimp with some sort of amazing sauce. I am so picky about my shrimp, and have had too many sub-par shrimp that were bland, overcooked, rubbery, or worse, earthy tasting so you know they're off or haven't been cleaned properly, which makes me so very gun-shy when ordering them. But these were superb: seasoned perfectly, tender but not mushy, and oh so very sweet. They were, without a doubt, the best shrimp that I've ever had. And we only had 5 or 6. To share, Clearly, this was not enough shrimp. We could have easily devoured 3 more orders between the two of us.

So when the weather finally cleared, and it became grilling time, off we went to Metropolitan Market to find enough shrimp to satiate our shrimp craving. And they had beautiful, fresh, huge, wild gulf shrimp. Bingo! We used a very simple rub out of the Weber's Way to Grill book, which is a really great grilling book and not what you'd expect (definitely not "100 ways to make burgers" as a friend had thought it might be), but it's full of great things like cedar planked salmon, flank steak roulade, even grilled fruit recipes. And this wonderful but simple rub. I'm usually not a big fan of garlic powder, but it works here. Try to seek out some high-quality fresh, wild shrimp, and a good Spanish paprika, it will make all the difference.



Smoky Paprika Grilled Shrimp
Serves 2 shrimp-hungry individuals
From Weber's Way to Grill

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1/2 tsp Spanish Paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the shrimp thoroughly with the rub. Set aside.
Thread shrimp through skewers, keeping close together—this keeps the shrimp from overcooking. If you like extra crispy or charred shrimp, separate the space between them, but keep an eye on them to prevent overcooking. Grill for 1-2 minutes a side over high heat, turning once. Serve immediately.
Kudos to my awesome husband for manning the grill. I may have picked out the recipe, but he did all the work, including the deveining, and the cooking.
This is pictured with an avocado and grilled anaheim pepper dip, also outlined in the Weber book.