Just when I thought Summer had officially arrived early and was here to stay, the rains come in. Ordinarily, this might make me huff a little, but not this year. This year I am too happy to see my plants getting watered, our city reservoir getting topped up and, perhaps most of all, getting a respite from Sunshine Swelling Disease aka, being very, very pregnant in unseasonably hot weather.
Suffice to say, I’m already counting my lucky stars I won’t have to suffer through the heat of the summer while pregnant, if even the May sunshine we have been having has caused me to swell up like Violet Beauregard in Willy Wonka.
Thankfully, there are meals like this. These skewers are incredibly quick and easy to whip together (less time in the kitchen and on my feet!) and pair just as perfectly with a sunny day as they do a rainy one- they are punchy and flavourful, perfect for a smoky grill on a warm evening, but hearty enough to feel like comfort food if the weather has taken a turn for the worse.
Pair them with a cold, crisp beer or white wine for sunshine and a chewy red for rain.
Serve alongside cooling veggies (like this cucumber salad) if the night is warm… or hot, cheesy grits if you’re feeling chilly.
If I ever get around to entertaining again (and I hope I do), these will definitely be on the menu rotation. They’re quick, easy and crowd-pleasing. Short-cut, budget-friendly surf and turf. Smoky, salty and savoury, all hit with a squeeze of fresh lemon to brighten it up and take it home to happy-tastebud-town. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they look charming af all grilled up together…
| Shrimp & Chorizo Skewers | Print |
- 18 large shrimp or prawns, shelled and deveined
- 1 link cured chorizo sausage, cut into ~1/8 inch rounds*
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ lemon, cut into wedges
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine smoked paprika, bay, olive oil, pepper and garlic. Add shrimp and marinate for 20 minutes. If you are using wooden skewers, let them soak in some cool water while the shrimp marinates- this will help them stand up to the heat of the barbecue when cooking.
- Assemble your skewers, artfully spearing one shrimp followed by one round of sausage, so that when the shrimp cooks, it coils around the sausage. The number of shrimp-sausage combos you put on each skewer will determine how many skewers you make in total- I like to spear 3 pairs on each wooden skewer, giving me 6 skewers (enough to feed 2 people well, or 3 people as part of a meal with multiple sides). This recipe can be easily scaled up.
- Grill on a hot barbecue for 1-2 minutes a side, until the shrimp are pink and the sausage has plumped up. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.
Wow, these look beautiful! Very easy and just in time for grilling season. Hopefully, it will be cooler this summer! Stay cool. 😉
Thanks, Lokness! I’m all about easy recipes these days and this is definitely one to add to the rotation 🙂