How to Cook Shrimp on the Barbeque Grill to Perfection!

Before we start cooking there is the issue of deveining your shrimp or not. Some people say that you will have too, this is not true. As long as the shrimp is cooked long enough or correctly, there is not going to be a health risk from leaving them original. Of course we all find it more pleasing to have them deveined, so what is the best method for deveining and grilling our shrimp?

One of the better methods when grilling is to use a small knife to split the shrimp down the back and pick out the vein. This opening that you create will help to add flavour to your cooked shrimp. The skin or shell of shrimp normally stops marinades or seasonings from penetrating into the shrimp body, but with this cut the marinades can soak in. Grilling shrimp with the shells on will make it harder to get a skewer through, but it does help them to hold onto their natural shape. To properly grill shrimp, it is best to place them onto skewers. This makes them easier to control on the grill or plate and much easier to cook.

Soak your wooden skewers for approximately 20-30 minutes prior to putting your shrimp on them, as this will help to stop the skewers from burning on the grill or hotplate. Skewer each shrimp, first through the tail and then through the head. This will give your cooked shrimp a nice curved shape and make more of an attractive kebab. Three to four shrimp can fit comfortably onto your skewer, but making sure that you only add them to the top half of the skewer, leaving the bottom as a handle. You need to try and leave about ½ inch in between each as this allows for more even cooking. You can also use two skewers in the same fashion, which will allow you to turn them easier and stop them from rotating during the cooking process.

If you are using a marinade, then after you have skewered all your raw shrimp, now is the best time to baste with your pre-made marinate. A marinade made with 1 part lemon juice, 2 parts olive oil, a little ground pepper and crushed garlic will always be a winner. Whether you use this liquid marinate or just a dry blend of some seasoning, try and do this within half an hour of actual cooking.

Preheat your bbq grill or hot plate, gas or coals, to a medium heat. Put a light coat of oil onto your grill or hot plate in readiness for the skewered shrimp. Place your shrimp onto the grill or plate and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes before turning over and cooking the other side. The length of time that you cook them for will also depend on the size of your shrimp too, of course, so be mindful. The worst thing you can do to shrimp is over cook them. They will go tough with a rubbery texture and lose their natural flavours. Shrimp will turn into an opaque colour once done.

Once done, pull them off the bbq grill or plate and let stand for a couple of minutes. Then move onto a serving plate with maybe some rice and vegetables or a plate of salad with some lemon wedges and seafood sauce. Have fun and be creative as you go. Practice makes perfect and you don’t have to follow any particular recipe, just the cooking methods to deliver a scrumptious shrimp entrée or meal.