Lemon Grilled Shrimp

Tis the season for grilling! I made this easy grilled shrimp up today for a quick lunch on the deck to celebrate that the sun is finally out and shining in Steamboat Springs! I made up some shrimp skewers and poured my lemon marinade over half, putting bottled Asian barbecue sauce over the rest, just in case my marinade was too weak and I wanted a stronger flavor. I could have skipped that step because the lemon shrimp won out and was WAY better than the barbecue ones. It's great for lunch or dinner served with a salad or if you are like me, an edamame, red pepper combo or they are just as good alone as an appetizer served with some lemon wedges and crusty bread. I polished off my lunch and took a break from baking, sat in the sun with my lemon water and Food Network magazine and read while Jeremy built the kids a swing set out of timbers. A perfect Saturday afternoon if I do say so myself.

Lemon Grilled Shrimp

32 medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on (about half a frozen 2lb bag) less if you have large shrimp, or more for smaller shrimp)

8 wooden skewers

juice from 2 lemons

zest from 1 lemon

olive oil

a hearty pinch of sea salt or kosher salt

Old Bay seasoning or Chesapeake Seasoning (a must)

Soak your wooden skewers in some water for at least 10 minutes before grilling so the sticks don't catch fire and burn.

Put the juice from the two lemons in a glass bowl or cup so you can see how much is in there. Add half as much olive oil to the glass as there is juice. Add the zest and salt and whisk until combined. Set aside.

Thread 4 shrimp to a skewer and set on a baking dish. repeat until all the shrimp are skewered. Pour the lemon marinade over the shrimp and toss to coat. Sprinkle liberally with Old Bay seasoning on both sides and again with salt. Set aside and let it marinate for 10 minutes.

Turn your grill to high and add the shrimp. Cook until just done. It should only take about a minute on each side.

Serve with lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Serves 4 (8 shrimp per person)

The edamame salad that I served with mine was just tossed with some small dice red pepper, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, salt, scallion and a drizzle of olive oil. It was fine but not great which is why I didn't provide the exact recipe. A black bean, corn salad would go great with this. (1 can black beans, kernels from 2 shucked corn on the cob, a diced jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, diced tomato, diced red bell pepper, diced red onion, salt and pepper...I never measure, just eyeball it)

The Old Bay or Chesapeake Seasoning is really what ties everything together and goes so well with the pungent lemon zest. I will definitely be making these again!