Thai Marinated Shrimp

Hello my Hy-Vee friends!

It’s the height of summer and in my mind that means grilling. One of the best items to throw on the grill (in my opinion) is shrimp but there are three common mistakes a lot of people make when grilling shrimp. Here's what they are and how to avoid them: 

1. First, it's important to use the correct size shrimp. If you use small shrimp, they are going to overcook and be tough. In my mind, the ideal size for grilling shrimp are 8 to 12 count. That simply means that there are 8 to 12 shrimp in a pound.

2. The second common mistake is using cooked shrimp instead of raw. Cooked shrimp are already cooked! You wouldn’t throw a cooked steak on a grill, would you? Stick with raw.

3. Finally, as delicious as shrimp can be, they have a tendency to be bland. That is why we are always covering them in garlic butter sauce or dunking them into cocktail sauce. The marinade below alleviates this problem. The big bold flavors of lime, hot sauce, garlic and ginger make these shrimp perfectly seasoned.

Thai Marinated Shrimp

Serves 2.

All you need:

Juice of I lime

1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce (available in the Asian section)

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

3 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ inch knob of ginger, minced

1 pound 8 to 12 count raw shrimp

All you do:

1. Pre-heat grill to medium high heat. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the shrimp. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the marinade and with the rest add the shrimp. Marinate for half an hour.

2. Grill shrimp about 3 minutes a side. 

3. Serve with rice and enjoy!

So grill some shrimp and as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex