Have you been seeing Argentinian Shrimp in your stores? These Argentinian Grilled Shrimp are jumbo, sweet, tender bites of shrimp joy!
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The first time I saw them they were being promoted by WagJag and now my Costco carries them. They are very pink even when raw and quite large, 16-20 per pound. Six shrimp easily make a serving but they are so good you will want more. They are easy to peel and quite sweet.
Do NOT overcook them or you will lose some of the character that makes them so special. They cook faster than traditional shrimp. Watch them carefully because they are already pink so it will be the change from translucent to opaque that will be your guide.
They are wild caught in the deep South Atlantic. Food Safety Network, in 2015, tested 342 samples of shrimp commonly found for sale in our retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Albertson's, Fry's Marketplace and found wild Argentianian shrimp to have the lowest bacteria levels.
When you are peeling the shrimp save the shells! They are pink gold when it comes to flavouring the tartar sauce or making shrimp bisque.
The Sauce
The tartar sauce is an amazing addition to this dish if you like a bit of heat. You will simmer your shells in oil and add spices to create shrimp oil. I save a bit to brush on the shrimp as they are grilling but the rest gets made into mayonnaise and ultimately tartar sauce. Your choice on how spicy you make it!
In the end you will end up with about 1 cup of tartar sauce. You may have some left over which makes a great sandwich topper or a dip for more shrimp!
This recipe is perfect for entertaining because can prepare your shrimp skewers early in the day and make your shrimp oil and tartar sauce ahead. Then it will only take a few minutes to finish the shrimp on the grill with no last minute prep to worry about.
Argentinian Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 2 lbs Argentinian shrimp raw, shell on
- shrimp oil for brushing see below
Shrimp Oil
- 2 cups canola oil
- shells from cleaned shrimp above
- 1 medium shallot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon is very piquant -use 1-3 tsps depending on your heat tolerance
- 2 sprigs thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tbsps paprika (I use sweet)
Tartar Sauce
- 1 cup shrimp oil from above
- 1 ½ tsps Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 Tbsps lemon juice
- 2 tsps capers
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Shrimp
- Peel shrimp leaving the tail on. Save the shells for shrimp oil.
- Skewer shrimp catching the tail and the head on the skewer, 4-6 per skewer. I put my skewers on a BBQ seafood tray to make them easier to transport, turn etc.
- Refrigerate while you make the shrimp oil and Tartar sauce.
Shrimp Oil
- Combine all oil ingredients in a sauce pan. Let steep over low heat approximately 30 minutes.
- Strain oil from sauce pan into a glass measuring cup. Reserve 2 Tbsps in a separate jar to brush on shrimp later. Sit cup in ice water to cool it quickly. Let cool completely before making the tartar sauce.
Tartar Sauce
- Combine all Tartar Ingredients EXCEPT the shrimp oil and capers in a blender. Blend well. Pour the shrimp oil in slowly while blender is running. Sauce will emulsify and thicken. Add capers at very end and pulse for just a second so you can see caper bits in the sauce.
- Chill in a side serving dish.
Shrimp
- Heat BBQ grill on high.
- Reduce heat to medium when grill is hot.
- Brush shrimp with the reserved shrimp oil when first put them on the grill and when you turn them.
- Grill approximately 2 minutes per side. Watch carefully for change from translucent to opaque. Do not over cook.
- Serve with Tartar sauce on the side.
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