Shrimp are quick and easy to cook, perfect for a weeknight dinner…except for the peeling.
Scene: The Infomercial alternate universe, where even simple tasks are impossible. Overhead shot in black and white - DadCooksDinner wrestling with a shrimp in its shell. The shrimp appears to be winning.
Two pounds of 26-30 count shrimp on a weeknight? Ugh. Dinner will be late, everyone.
Of course, there's a simple way around this - make everyone peel their own shrimp at the dinner table. Years ago, Cooks Illustrated explained the beauty of peel and eat shrimp. As people peel their shrimp, they get the spices all over their fingers, and then onto the peeled shrimp as they pull them out of the shell. Genius!
This is a simple weeknight recipe - but a large grill pan is a requirement. You don't want to lose any of these little guys through the grill grate. If you don't have a grill pan, then it's time to start peeling and skewering. I use this one from Weber, and really liked this one from Lodge before the cast iron started rusting.
The other great thing about this recipe? I can thaw a bag of frozen shrimp in ten minutes, so it doesn't require any planning ahead. Pour the frozen shrimp in a bowl, set it in your sink, and start a trickle of cold water running over the shrimp. Every couple of minutes, swish the water around in the bowl, and break apart any shrimps that are frozen together. As soon as the shrimp are thawed, drain them, add the and start tossing with the spice paste.
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📖 Recipe Card
Grilled Peel and Eat Shrimp with Smoked Paprika Spice Paste
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Shell-on shrimp tossed in a smoked paprika, brown sugar and garlic spice paste, then grilled in a grill pan until pink and charred in spots.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra large (16 to 20 count) shell-on "easy peel" shrimp (shells split and deveined), thawed
Spice paste
- ¼ cup paprika (preferably Spanish smoked paprika)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Coat the shrimp: Stir the spice paste ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp, and toss until evenly coated. Let rest while the grill heats.
- Preheat the grill: Set up the grill for direct medium heat. On a gas grill, preheat with all the burners on high for 15 minutes, brush the grate clean, then turn the burners down to medium.
- Grill the first side: Put the grill pan over direct medium heat, and spread the shrimp on it in a single layer. Grill until the shells are pink and blackened in spots on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
- Grill the second side: Flip, and grill until the shrimp are no longer pink in the middle, about 5 minutes more.
- Serve: Move to a platter, let cool for 5 minutes, and serve.
Notes
Equipment: A large grill pan, at least 11 by 15 inches.
I buy frozen "easy peel" shrimp, with the shells already split and the veins removed. Less work on a weeknight.
Smaller shrimp work too. Cook 21 to 25 count shrimp about 4 minutes per side, and 26 to 30 count about 3 minutes per side.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Larry Mickelson says
Just made these again this past Friday. My wife is Catholic and follows the no-meat Friday rule during Lent. Because of this recipe, it doesn't bother me, anymore!
Simple and delicious! Thanks for recipe!
Rita says
Thanks, Mike. I looks as if I have some shopping to do.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks, Rita!
That's a Fiesta Ware platter - my first love when it comes to colorful plates.
Rita says
Great photo, Mike as are all the others, and the method struck a chord. Is that a Le Creuset platter underneath the shrimp? It is gorgeous and really shows off the shrimp. And a convenient method for serving them on a busy day.
I can really appreciate your grill-and-peel method, especially after making a Hong Kong Sauteed Shrimp & Vegetables in Chile-Tomato Sauce from Martin Yan (The Well-Seasoned Wok, page 102). It was delicious, but it took me almost 3 hours to get the 3-minute stir-fry together. On a weeknight yet. I must have had a really bad senior moment flareup when I planned that menu. I really enjoyed making the recipe, though, because it made the most of each ingredient, including making a shrimp shell stock and reduction from the shrimp peels, but for a weeknight, well, maybe not a good choice. With malice of forethought, though, I doubled the recipe and packed half of the ingredients in the fridge so I can do a really quick stir-fry in the next day or two and it won't taste like leftovers.
As good as the stir-fry was, our next shrimp dish will be a peel-it-yourself method. Thanks for posting this. The shrimp look as if they could jump right off the page and into my plate.
Rita