Throw some hot shrimp on that barbie

No no no, that's just silly. What I'm talking about is firing up the grill while things get hot outside! To match the Sacramento heat, there is nothing like making some spicy shrimp kebabs on the BBQ!

So this is a true SFB original, no inspiration here besides me opening up my condiments cabinet and having at it. Try it out and tell us what you think.

Ok, I was inspired by reading about a Nate Appleman recipe in Food and Wine calling for mayo on grilled asparagus to "create a beautifully blistered crust". Basically, it acts as an oil that has sticking power (and what is mayo besides egg, oil, and a vinegar?). On another blog topic, we make our own mayo, and you can too, and I suggest you try it some time.

Wait, what, are you squeamish about cooking with mayo? I don't have online proof to show you that it's bad - but think about it. This will go on the grill, and will likely kill anything that could be lurking in raw egg. So let go and trust me. My Grandpa, who was always a Nervous Nellie, would have had some agita at this - I remember as a kid I used to toast sandwiches with mayo all the time. "Rae, stop, you'll get sick from that!". Snort. Oh Grandpa, it tasted great, no sickness to be had! If he were still here today, I hope I'd convince him to try this recipe out. Maybe. He used to love a little tabasco on his scrambled eggs in the morning, and I know he would have appreciated this blog.

What else makes this spicy shrimp BBQ special? I have a new-found obsession with gochujang (a Korean paste made from chilies and fermented rice and soy beans), which is a key ingredient in bulgogi or bibimbap. It's thick and sticky (it's a paste) and has a hearty heft akin to drinking a summer ale spiked with smoked hot chili peppers. I added some sriracha for an extra spicy vinegar kick. Why not? Threw some mirin and sesame oil in there, too, along with some Alderwood smoked salt (I put this on everything!). What we came up with is a sweet, rich, spicy, and smokey marinade that will make your shrimp sing!

We will likely try this again without the mayo - it did deliver the nice crust as promised but could be a little heavy if you're not feeling up to it. So after all that, I think this dish would go just as well without the mayo and just using the oil. So if you try this out, let us know how it goes! Here's to summer...

Ingredients

2 lbs raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch skewerable pieces

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp gochujang

1 tbsp sriracha

1 tbsp Alderwood smoked salt

2 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp ground black pepper

Mix the mayo, salts, oil, and sauces/paste in a bowl. Mix with the shrimp and peppers. Near a sink, skewer the soaked shrimp and peppers (if using wooden skewers, be sure to soak in water for at least 20 minutes to avoid a skewer fire). Light a grill, and grill on both sides for a total of about 6 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque and crispy/blistered on the outside. Enjoy with a nice glass of bubbly.