Quick Grilled Shrimp with Sriracha Dipping Sauce

In the time it takes to preheat your grill, you can prep and marinate shrimp and prepare the dipping sauce. Then after a few minutes on the barbecue, this quickly grilled shrimp with sriracha dipping sauce is done and ready to be served as an appetizer or as the main dish.

The texture of shrimp can go from luscious to rubbery if overcooked, but that is such an easy thing to fix. When sautéing or grilling, don’t cook shrimp according to the timer, but by what it looks like. Raw shrimp is grey and pearly while cooked shrimp is pink and the color turns opaque. Since it cooks so quickly, stand over the heat and watch. As soon as the color starts to change, get the tongs ready and remove the shrimp, not only from the heat source but out of the hot pan. 

Not only can the texture be ruined by overcooking, but the delicate flesh can start to “cook” when immersed in an acidic substance (think ceviche) like a marinade. This recipe contains lemon juice so the shrimp shouldn’t spend very long in the sauce. Marinating for only 15 minutes will not start the cooking process but will provide a flavor boost to the shrimp.

Shrimp Sizes

Shrimp is categorized from colossal to tiny. Each supplier can assign their own sizing label so it is better to know the number of shrimp per pound, which is consistent. These numbers refer to whole shrimp with (heads, shells, etc).

• U/15 colossal means less than 15 shrimp per pound
• 16-20 jumbo is great for flashy appetizers or main dishes
• 21-25 extra-large also a great size for main dishes.
• 26-30 large size
• 31-40 medium-large is my default size. I always have a bag if this size shrimp in the freezer.
• 41-50 usually called medium
• 51-60 small size
• 61-70 extra-small is a good size for salads

When estimating serving size, plan on 3-4 ounces of shrimp

To thaw frozen shrimp

Place shrimp in a colander and run cold water over the shrimp. Don’t use warm water as that can start cooking the shrimp. It doesn’t take very long to defrost shrimp this way.

Devein shrimp

The black tract (called vein but it is actually is the digestive tract) is located on the outer curve of the shrimp just under the shell. Since the vein can contain grains of sand it will make the shrimp gritty if you don’t remove it. Sometimes on the inner curve where the legs were connected, there appears a dark line. This can be removed for aesthetics, but the shrimp will not be gritty if it is left intact.

What is Sriracha?

Sriracha is a hot sauce made from chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is a great way to add heat and is often used as a condiment. It is found in the Asian aisle at the grocery store. I like the brand with the rooster on it. There is no need to refrigerate the bottle after opening—just store it in a cupboard and shake it well before using it.

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