Weekend Recipe: Creole Lime Shrimp

Earlier this week, Mr. Bear was out for the evening with his brother.  Mr. Bear is a bit pickier than I am when it comes to food, so I decided to test out a new recipe while he was out.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I'm looking forward to grilled dishes.  Shrimp just screams warm weather to me, so I decided to go in search of a delicious recipe.

After perusing several of my typical recipe sites, I noticed that the most common recipes included lime and/or cajun seasoning.  I didn't have any cajun seasoning on hand and didn't really feel like making my own, but I had some Zatarain's Creole seasoning that I felt would be a good substitute. I took an amalgamation of a bunch of other recipes to come up with this marinade.


I loved this dish because it was only 4 ingredients!

Ingredients:

2 heaping tsp. Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lime, juiced
1lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 21/25 shrimp which means there are 21 to 25 shrimp per pound aka "Jumbo" shrimp.  I also prefer it with the tail off, but it is up to you)

The Zatarain's seasoning is pretty salty, so I only used 2 tsp. and it gave it a really good flavor.  If you are using a cajun or creole seasoning that is less salty, I would recommend upping your seasoning, with a maximum of 3 tbsp.

Directions:

1. Mix together the seasoning, lime juice and vegetable oil in a resealable plastic bag, or bowl with a lid.  Add the shrimp, coat with the marinade.  Marinate in the fridge for up to 20 mins. (I was in a hurry this past time so only marinated for about 10 and the flavor was still good)

2. Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate (I used PAM for grilling on my indoor grill).  Remove the shrimp from marinade and shake off excess.  Discard remaining marinade.

3. Cook shrimp on the grill until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center.  This was about 2 minutes per side for me, but I went a little longer because I like to get a nice brown, crunchy outside.

I served with broccoli and a side of rice.  It was delicious!

Tips:

1. I cooked on an indoor grill because I was just cooking for myself.  If you are cooking on an outdoor charcoal or gas grill, I would highly recommend rubbing the grates with oil instead of using PAM.

2. Also, if cooking on outdoor grill, I would recommend using skewers on the shrimp to make sure they don't drop between the grates.  I recommend metal skewers, but if you are using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak in water before use so they don't burn on the grill.

3. For a bit of a margarita flavor, you could add tequila to the marinade!

4. Be sure to start with defrosted shrimp.  I forgot to pull some out the night before, so I did the quick defrost method of putting the shrimp in a colander and letting COLD water run over them for about 15 mins. NEVER use hot water, you could introduce bacteria.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, It is a great summer dish, and the shrimp would also be excellent on a southwest style salad!

-Danielle