Tasty Tuesday

What better way to celebrate our new Spring patio than with shrimp on the barbie! But since we're not British, let's just call this little recipe Garlic and Lime Grilled Shrimp.

Once we saw these incredibly gorgeous tomatoes and succulent shrimp at my possible mothership, we knew there was no turning back in our quest for a scrumptious shrimp dinner.

First, we tacked the job of peeling and deveining the shrimp. We chose wild shrimp (still in its shell, flown in that morning, and never frozen), for its bold and fresh flavors. Have you ever prepped shrimp before? It's not a job for the faint of heart, but relatively easy compared to other meat prep/butchering chores.

Obviously, start by peeling off the shell:

Next, cut a thin slit on the seams of the shrimp to remove any...residue...

Then, rinse off the shrimp. I'm sure your cleaning efforts were successful, but a little extra rinse saves you from a poopy embarrassment (!) and makes guests feel extra safe that you went the extra mile for them.

After the shrimp were clean, we let them marinate in a mixture of freshly squeezed lime juice, minced garlic, EVOO, and good old salt and pepper. The shrimp needn't stay in the marinate much longer than 15 minutes. That limey acid will actually start the cooking process prematurely on your little fishies.

Hubby fired up the grill, and added these special Hickory Wood Chips- they smell incredible, make all the neighbors totally jealous, and give your food a delicious smokey and savory flavor.

Cooking time is short. Hubby literally counted down about 1 minute for each side.

Pair with your favorite white wine and, voila:

Dinner is served!

If you want to replicate this dinner, but aren't interested in taking the time to prep the fresh shrimp, then you are not to worry. Shrimp can be bought in many varieties. Just ask your friends at your local seafood counter for the "P&D" shrimp (that's "peeled and deveined" for you newbies). Enjoy!