Tips for Summer BBQ Season: Grilling the Perfect Shrimp

Add Gulf Shrimp for a Tasty, Healthy Twist to Your Summer Cookout

Push the burgers and ribs aside and make room for something special. We’re offering tips for summer BBQ Season, Deanie’s-style: Grilling the Perfect Shrimp. 

The Fourth of July marks the beginning of summer cookouts. This year, resolve to add a tasty, healthy twist that will wow your family and friends while showing off your culinary chops with a Louisiana flair. Fresh and nutritious Louisiana shrimp is available year-round; however, the special flavor of shrimp barbecued on your outdoor grill can only be enjoyed in the more temperate months.

The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines encourage Americans to eat at least 8 ounces of seafood per week, but most people aren’t meeting that goal. If you’re looking to introduce your family to seafood and become adept at preparing seafood at home, we’ve got a few pointers. Here are great grilling tips to add a high-protein, low-calorie option to your summer cookout, and a great way to get a taste of the best shrimp around.

Grilling the Perfect Shrimp

Shrimp on the grill is fast and delicious. Did you know eight shrimp is around 50 calories but packs more than 10 grams of protein? 

Gulf-ShrimpDeanie’s Seafood Market offers fresh local shrimp that are perfect for grilling. It’s best to purchase 16/20 count shrimp or larger. Marinate your peeled shrimp in a mixture of olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest and any herbs or seasonings that you would like, including Deanie’s Creole seasoning, fresh chopped garlic, parsley, basil, oregano or thyme, paprika, salt and fresh ground pepper, even a little cayenne. Tip: If you are using wood skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes so they don’t burn while grilling your shrimp. 

Thread the shrimp onto the pre-soaked skewers and place on top of a medium grill. To make shrimp kabobs, alternate between shrimp and vegetable slices like green or red pepper, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash.

Shrimp skewers typically take 2-3 minutes per side to cook—kabobs may take a little longer—so you’ll want to watch them closely and make sure they don’t burn.The shrimp will be done when the color changes to pink and they are opaque.

And to add a little more flavor and authenticity, you can purchase Deanie’s scratch made Remoulade or cocktail sauce at the retail market. For a Remoulade salad, toss grilled shrimp over iceberg lettuce and drizzle with Remoulade sauce. You can also check out this recipe for grilled shrimp tacos.

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Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Butter

Another option is to prepare your shrimp in lemon butter by placing them in foil and allowing them to steam to perfection. (This recipe also can be used to prepare lemon butter scallops.)

Take a pound of shrimp and place in a packet of foil along with 1-2 tablespoons of butter, a squeeze of lemon, plus salt and pepper.  Fold the foil by taking the opposite edges and twisting in the middle to create an airtight seal. You’ll want the seafood to cook inside the packet and not allow any steam to escape.  

Light a grill on high heat, and grill the seafood for 10 to 12 minutes.  You can put vegetables in here, too, such as spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, or even asparagus—just put them under the fish and don’t forget to season the vegetables with salt and pepper as well!

Finding Fresh Local Seafood

Your local neighborhood seafood market is the best place to start your Fourth of July BBQ plans. Deanie’s Seafood Market in Bucktown, located at 1713 Lake Ave. in Metairie, is open seven days per week and offers fresh and boiled seasonal crawfish, blue crab and Louisiana shrimp, plus oysters and fresh daily catch like red snapper and speckled trout. You can also purchase prepared items and sauces like Deanie’s scratch made crabmeat stuffing, crawfish stuffing, New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp sauce, stuffed artichokes, and even housemade Remoulade and cocktail sauce.

Whether you have time to cook or are looking for a place to dine in, Deanie’s Seafood is one of only a handful of restaurants in the Greater New Orleans area with a seafood market adjacent to the restaurant, offering customers the opportunity to purchase the same fresh, locally sourced seafood Deanie’s uses to create their authentic New Orleans cuisine. 

Happy Fourth of July!

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