More often than not, come dinner time, I’m feeling lazy.
After a morning of work (oh, the emails) and an afternoon of homeschooling and chores (oh, the whines), this mama is tired, and as much as I’d like to go out to eat somewhere so someone else can cook for me, in a small town, there aren’t many options for my idea of a healthy dinner. Besides, at this point in the day, I’m either feeling too tired to take four kids out to eat in any restaurant (can I get an “Amen!”) or I just want to run away somewhere to be by myself for a bit.
But back to me cooking dinner.
So, as you can guess, seeing how I want a healthy meal that doesn’t take an hour and a half to make from start to finish, I’m a big fan of dinners that can be pulled off quickly and simply!
Enter shrimp.
Shrimp (Thank you, Lord!) cook quickly, and they taste great! Plus, they pair well with other foods which gives me lots of options for side dishes, and I love me some side dishes!
Another great thing about shrimp is that they pick up flavors really well so herbs and spices can really take them to the next level.
I’ve really ventured into cooking with more fresh herbs and spices over the course of the past year. Now, don’t get me wrong, salt and pepper alone are enough sometimes, but man! Adding one or two (or five) additional spices can really take food up a notch or two. Seriously! If you don’t already, let me encourage you to start trying some recipes that use more herbs and spices. Not only does it enhance the flavor of your food, but it will enhance the health of your meal as well.
Speaking of recipes that use a good bit of spices…
Today, I want to share one of my favorite shrimp recipes with you – Grilled Tandoori Shrimp Skewers. They’re super simple to prepare, they cook quickly, and everyone in the family loves them.
Tandoori is a style of marinade that combines yogurt and Indian spices together with meat… in our case, shrimp, which is then marinated for a couple hours to flavor the meat. You can then prepare your meat to your liking. Again, in our case, we’ll be grilling our shrimp because, well, it’s summer, and who doesn’t like to grill out during summer?
Grilled Tandoori Shrimp Skewers
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. large shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off)
- tandoori marinade (recipe below)
- wooden skewers
- cooking spray
- cilantro
Tandoori Marinade Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt (homemade or store bought)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
Start off by peeling, deveining, and removing the tails from your shrimp. Yes, this is the time-consuming part of shrimp meals, but trust me, it’s worth it.
If you really hate this part, you can always buy shrimp that have already been peeled and deveined. All you’ll need to do is pull the tails off, and you’ll be good to go. I do this sometimes when I know I don’t have a lot of time.
Rinse the shrimp off in cool water, and set them aside.
Next, combine all marinade ingredients together and mix well. Stop to smell the spices. Don’t they smell amazing and send a surge of energy through your body? I know they do me, and this mama needs some energy around this time of the day! Pour the marinade over the cleaned shrimp. Stir to coat, and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. If you’re in a hurry, you can let it marinate for 10 minutes or so at room temperature, but remember, the long you let anything marinade, the more flavor the meat will pick up. So, yes, it’s worth planning ahead!
I like to do get this step ready when I’m making lunch seeing how I’m already in the kitchen. It doesn’t take that long, and I don’t have to worry about forgetting to let the shrimp marinate as long as I wanted.
Twenty minutes before grilling, soak your skewers in water to keep them from burning on the grill. Next, spray your grill down with some cooking spray to minimize shrimp from sticking, and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Divide shrimp evenly among skewers. I got 6 shrimp to a skewer, but you can pack 8 on if you prefer.
Grill the shrimp until cooked through (opaque) and slightly firm, flipping once, cooking 2-4 minutes per side.
When finished, garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, and serve warm.
Dinner Is Served
Indian main dishes call for Indian-inspired side dishes… at least in my home.
Serve these skewers along side curried quinoa, curried veggies, and some mango chutney if you have some. They also make a great addition to an Indian inspired shrimp salad with curried dressing. Add in a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé wine, and you’re all set! Yum!
So there you go. The next time you have an inkling for shrimp, spice it up a bit with these Grilled Tandoori Shrimp Skewers. Your whole family will love them, and you’ll love how easy they are to make!
This is great for a quick and easy dinner. Love it! Thanks for sharing =)