Zimmy's Nook

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wild shrimp

Ridiculously Good Grilled Shrimp

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An image of four ridiculously good grilled shrimp on a plate with grilled lemons, parsley and an heirloom tomato salad.

Ridiculously Good Grilled Shrimp.

I love this grilled shrimp recipe any day of the week. It is a perfect weeknight meal that is super quick, full of flavour, and easy to make! It is delicious served over salad, rice, pasta, or your favourite grain. Use smaller skewers, for the ultimate appetizer!

Cook’s tip: You may want to make more than the recipe suggests because everyone will love these, and they will disappear quickly!!

Ingredients
  • 20-24 Marina Del Rey Wild Argentinian shrimp peeled and deveined (20-30 size)
  • pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 4 metal skewers (or wood skewers soaked)
Preparation

Dry the shrimp on a paper towel, then sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon zest & juice, parsley, Sriracha, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and red pepper flakes, then add the oil in a slow stream while whisking. Add the shrimp and let marinate for 30 minutes.

An white enamel pan with black edges filled with shrimp in a marinade for ridiculously good grilled shrimp.

Preheat grill to high heat.

Thread the shrimp on the skewers (5 or 6 per skewer), set aside. Pour the excess marinade into a small saucepan and gently boil until reduced by half. Turn of the heat and add the honey, then whisk to combine. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes, then brush both sides of the shrimp with the sauce.

Lower the heat on the grill to medium.

Place the skewers on the grill. Grill on each side for 1 ½ – 2 minutes.

Serve with your favourite summertime salad or over flavoured rice, quinoa, orzo.

** Note: I like to leave the tail on for presentation, but feel free to remove it.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Inactive time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Servings: 4

Disclosure: I have participated in a paid partnership with Marina Del Rey. Opinions in this post are my own.

Four skewers of grilled shrimp with parsley and grilled lemons fill half the oval platter. The other half of the platter is an heirloom tomato caprese salad.

Hope you enjoy my Ridiculously Good Grilled Shrimp recipe! I would love to hear any feedback if you tried this recipe or if you have any questions in the “comment box” below!

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy)

Crisp Spring Salad with Grilled Wild Shrimp & Olives

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A top down image of a spring salad with grilled wild shrimp, ribbons of cucumber, snap peas, radishes, asparagus tips and green onions . Plates, napkins, wine, glasses, and sauce all surround this dish.

Crisp Spring Salad with Grilled Wild Shrimp & Olives

Succulent Marina Del Rey shrimp, marinated in a lemon-mustard-dill dressing, then seared on the grill with olives!

This fresh, crisp, creamy salad is delicious year round but extra special when you can use fresh local asparagus. Perfect for a light lunch or add a few more shrimp for a heartier dinner. Also incredible paired with grilled meat (perhaps flank steak) for a delicious take on “surf & turf”

Ingredients
  • 12-16 Marina Del Rey Wild Argentinian Shrimp (20-30 size), thawed, shells removed (tails left on if you prefer the look for presentation) Freeze the shells to make shrimp stock at a later date.
  • 3/4 cup Lemon-Mustard-Dill dressing (recipe below), divided
  • 12-16 stuffed green olives (same number as shrimp)
  • 1 cup hummus use your favourite store bought
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
  • 3 Persian cucumbers, using a mandolin sliced lengthwise into thin ribbons
  • 30 asparagus tips, 3” long (reserve the stalks for a frittata, omelette or make soup) Alternatively use 10 full stalks cut into 3 pieces per stalk, 30 total pieces
  • 4 large radishes, using a mandoline sliced thinly
  • 4-5 oz snap peas, stem end & strings removed (optional – open about half the pods)
  • 6 Green onions, white & light green portion, thinly sliced on a diagonal
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 20 individual dill leaves, removed from the branch
  • Optional 2-3 oz crumbled feta
  • 8 x 4-5” (or 4 x 8-10”) skewers (if wood, soak for at least 30 minutes)
Lemon Mustard Dill Dressing
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or use a neutral-tasting oil if you prefer
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 2 medium lemons
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix everything in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well to combine

Preparation

Begin by thawing the shrimp, removing the shells and pat dry with paper towels.

A blue oval plate of shrimp, shells removed and tails remain on.

Make the dressing, then combine 1/3 cup of dressing with the shrimp in a resealable bag or bowl and toss to combine. Marinate for 10-12 minutes. Reserve the rest of the dressing for serving.

Mix together the hummus, yogurt and chopped dill in a bowl until combined then spread the mixture evenly over a 12-13” round serving platter (leaving about an inch border).

Layer the cucumber, asparagus, radishes and snap peas directly on the hummus mixture, then sprinkle the green onions, capers and dill leaves over everything. Put the salad in a cool space until ready to serve.

Skewer one side of the shrimp, then add the olive (stuffed side up), then finish skewering the other side of the shrimp (shrimp will be wrapped around the olive). Continue until all shrimps and olives are skewered.

A blue oval plate with shrimp and olive skewers ready to go on the grill

Preheat the grill (or grill pan) to medium-high heat.

Grill the shrimp for 2-3 minute per side until cooked through.

Place the skewers on the salad and drizzle 2 tablespoons of dressing over everything.

Serve with remaining dressing to add as desired to individual taste.

  • Prep Time: 35 minutes
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Servings: 4

Disclosure: I have participated in a paid partnership with Marina Del Rey. Opinions in this post are my own.

A close up of a top down image of a spring salad with grilled wild shrimp, of ribbons of cucumber, snap peas, radishes, asparagus tips and green onions.

Hope you enjoy my Crisp Spring Salad with Grilled Wild Shrimp & Olives recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

Grilled Paella Mixta (Mixed Paella with seafood, poultry & wine)

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A large, colourful pan of paella filled with seafood, poultry, rice and veggies. This pan is surrounded by a bottle of Viognier, glasses of wine, nuts, olives, lemons and bowls.

Grilled Paella Mixta (Mixed Paella with seafood, poultry & wine) 

Sponsored post, but all thoughts and opinions remain my own.

I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Yalumba Y Series Viognier (pronounced #VeeOnYay), and Chef’s Vault to create a dish that highlights my enjoyment of cooking with and pairing wine with a meal.

Yalumba Wine is the oldest family-owned winery in Australia (est. 1849) and are the pioneer of the Viognier varietal in the new world.

Viognier is a medium body white wine, that is fresh, flavourful, with fruit driven notes, making it a refreshing drink that pairs well with a wide variety of seafood and shellfish, roasted or grilled chicken, veal, pork, spicy flavors and Asian cuisine.

Having taken this opportunity to learn more about Yalumba Family Winery, I am truly impressed about their focus on sustainability in wine production and support of social causes, including homelessness.

For this recipe I used four options of sustainable meat & seafood available from Chef’s Vault.
• Canadian Cold Water Shrimp
• Lobster Claw & Knuckle Meat
• Smoked Duck & Mushroom Sausage
• Chicken Thighs
.
Feel free to add additional fish of shellfish to this dish and make it your own!
Be sure to serve with fresh and dried chilies (for those of us who like a little extra spice).
Please enjoy responsibly!

Ingredients
Broth
Sofrito
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large yellow onions, diced
  • 1 red pepper, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1 green pepper, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6.5 oz Yalumba Y Series Viognier wine
  • 13.5 oz dice tomatoes in juice
For serving
  • 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 lemon cut into 8 wedges
  • Drizzle of olive oil
This is an image of two bottles of wine, wine glasses and ingredients for paella sitting on a table outside beside the grill with a meadow in the background.
Preparation

Thaw the lobster, chicken, sausages in the fridge overnight.

To begin, mix together chicken rub, then flatten chicken thighs on a small tray (or plate), season both sides with rub and set aside until ready to use.

Make the stock (on the grill or stove) – Add the wine, seafood stock, chicken stock, bay leaves to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

An image of a bottl

Cook the lobster pieces in the simmering broth for 4 minutes. Remove lobster, place in a bowl an refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove bay leaves (discard), set broth aside until needed (when you come to make the paella, just reheat the stock until hot, but not boiling).

For the sofrito, add the 3 tbsps olive oil to a large frying pan over a medium-low heat, add the onions, peppers and fennel, for 5 to 7 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the garlic, salt and paprika and cook for 3 minutes more.

Pour in the wine, stir and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes (and juices), stir and cook for 10-12 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Transfer to a bowl until ready to use.

While the sofrito cooks down, heat a separate burner on the grill to medium heat and cook the sausages and chicken thighs. Sausages and flattened thighs should take about 10 minutes total, but times will vary based grill temperature and thickness of thighs. Cook until sausages and thighs are between 155°F-160°F internal temperature, then remove to a clean tray and cover with foil. Set aside. 

To make the paella, add the 1/4 cup olive oil to a large paella pan, scatter in the rice in an even layer and sauté over a medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the rice is golden. While this cooks reheat the stock.

Stir the reserved sofrito mixture into the rice and cook for 2 minutes, then add the hot stock and bring the mixture to the boil for another 2 minutes.

Sprinkle the saffron, paprika and chili flakes over the rice, reduce the heat to low and simmer, without stirring, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has almost been absorbed. 

Cut each chicken thigh into 4 equal pieces and each sausage into 3 pieces, return pieces to juices in the tray.

Arrange the shrimp, lobster, sausages and chicken evenly around the top of the paella and pour in juices from tray. 

Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat, cover with tin foil and clean tea towels and let rest until shrimp, lobster, sausages and chicken are hot, 5-7 minutes.

Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, cover the pan with tin foil and a few clean tea towels and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Hope you enjoy my Grilled Paella Mixta recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

Please enjoy responsibly!

A large, colourful pan of paella filled with seafood, poultry, rice and veggies. This pan is surrounded by a bottle of Viognier, glasses of wine, nuts, olives, lemons and bowls.