It’s another episode of Good Bite, this time our topic was shrimp, which is such a biiig….wiiiide…topic! I continued my lovefest with Dr. BBQ and chose a recipe from one of his cookbooks, Grilled Shrimp with Chili Lime Butter, a seriously easy yet cool-looking recipe because you serve the chili-lime butter in a shot glass! Genius.

Since it is in a shot glass, I wonder if a splash of tequila would be appropriate in the chili-lime butter? Well, if not in the butter, then at least a shot of tequila for the chef BEFORE cooking?

Here’s our roundtable, the lovely Shauna of Gluten Free Girl and Catherine of Weelicious:

Grilled Shrimp with Chili Lime Butter Recipe

for the shrimp
2 cups ice
1 pound, shrimp, deveined
1 tsp. salt
BBQ rub of your choice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

for the chili-lime butter
1 cup (8 ounces) butter
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons chili powder

1. Fill large bowl with ice. Add shrimp, cover with water, stir in salt. Let shrimp soak for 10 minutes. You can soak bamboo skewers in separate container at this time. Drain shrimp and pat dry. Season shrimp with BBQ rub, or salt and pepper. Skewer shrimp (if you are pan-frying on stove, no need to skewer).

2. Melt butter in microwave or small sauce pan. Whisk in lime juice and chili powder. Season with additional chili powder and salt, as needed. Set aside, keep warm.

3. To cook:
Outdoor grill: Grill shrimp 2-3 minutes per side over medium-high, direct heat.
Broiler: Grill under broiler (6” away from heating element) 2-3 minutes per side.
Stovetop: Heat large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 Tbs. cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add shrimp to pan in single layer, not touching. Saute 2-3 minutes each side. Plate grilled shrimp with warm Chili-Lime Butter.

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Win Diane’s Sweet Heat!

Hot topic: tail on or tail off?

So, there was a hot topic that I brought up in the very beginning of the video – so hot and controversial that it got cut out from the main segment for fear of protesting and rioting. I love tail-on shrimp. No, let me be truthful – I love tail-on, shell-on shrimp. Screw table manners, I want to lick, suck, peel and wrestle with my seafood! It’s just part of the family eating process, to eat with my hands and DEVOUR.

It’s also an Asian-thing…and a Southern thing…

Nothing makes me happier than having a big ‘ol pile of shrimp, crawfish, lobster, crabs, etc. and having to work at it! Yes, even at restaurants. BETTER at restaurants cuz I don’t have to clean up!

BUT- I get tons of emails and comments from people asking me, ” Why the seven seas do you leave the tail on the shrimp? You just have to cut the darn thing off anyways!”

Well, you know my answer…I wanna hear…what’s your opinion? Tail on or tail off?

Answer below in a comment and I’ll pick 3 random winners to win a jar of (Sorry! CONTEST OVER!)

Diane’s Sweet Heat Habanero Jams.

habanerojams

I met Diane via Twitter, and she asked me if she could send me some of her habanero jams, Sweet Heat. Hell yeah! Love them spread on crackers with a little cream cheese. Anyways, Diane is from McKinleyville, a small town in Humboldt County, California, where the redwood forest meets the Pacific Ocean. These are all hand-made in small batches. Flavor come in Blackberry Habanero, Blueberry Habanero, Peach Habanero, Raspberry Habanero and Strawberry Habanero.

dianes-sweet-heat

I love her jams so much that I’m buying these for you guys! Three winners will get a jam of their choice, my treat. I’ll pick winner on July 24th. CONTEST OVER!

UPDATE: The winners of the random drawing are:

LIZZIE LONGNECKER “I swear I’m not lazy, but…. tail off :)

IOWA FOOD GEEK “leave ’em whole! as long as they are fresh and as big as the palm of my hand, I’m a happy happpy woman.”

TNLOCAVORE “Tail-on but I’ll be completely honest. I’m a little squeamish about shrimp with the veins in. It’s trauma from childhood. Shrimp veins are full of shrimp poop, the reason why fig newtons are crunchy are because they have bugs in them and raisins in rice pudding are really big ticks! As much as I try to get past those ideas planted in my impressionable young mind, they still creep me out to this day.”

Congrats! Look for an email from me!