Marinated and Wood Grilled Royal Red Shrimp with Central’s Chimichurri Sauce

Courtesy of Executive Chef Leonardo Maurelli III and Central 129 Coosa. | Seafood: Shrimp

What you need

Ingredients: 5 lbs head and tail on Royal Reds; 1 c. extra virgin olive oil; 1 bunch fresh thyme; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 c. fresh chopped parsley, lightly packed; 1 c. cloves; 1 small jalapeño or Scotch Bonnet pepper; 2-3 tbsp lime juice; 1/2 c. rice wine vinegar; 1/2 c. olive oil; Sea salt to taste; Cracked black pepper to taste

Steps

1.

For the chimichurri sauce, simply combine all ingredients (garlic, parsley, cloves, jalapeno/Scotch Bonnet pepper, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, and cracked black pepper) and blend. You may leave as smooth or as coarse as you prefer. At Central, we leave this sauce more on the minced side so it has texture.

2.

Now remove the shells from middle of the shrimp. Be careful not remove the head or tail. Run a small knife along the back of shrimp and remove the vein.

3.

Place the thyme on a metal pan (if you have a cast iron skillet, this is preferable) and sprinkle olive oil over it to cover entire pan, as you will lay the shrimp over it. Place the shrimp over thyme sprigs and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Squeeze more olive oil over the shrimp and place in a refrigerator for 1 hour or so.

4.

In the meantime, prepare your grill with charcoals and hickory wood chips and let the fire and coals get nice and hot. Place the skillet on the grill and close.

5.

Once the shrimp begin to turn pink, flip then and allow other side to do the same, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook! Your shrimp should be nice and soft and buttery.