Grilled Shrimp Skewers With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Name: Grilled Shrimp Skewers With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 large red bell peppers; 3/4 cup whole toasted almonds (see Tip); 1 teaspoon pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika); 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne; 3 garlic cloves, minced; Salt and pepper; 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Lemon wedges, for serving; 1 1/2 pounds very small potatoes, unpeeled; 3 medium red onions, unpeeled and quartered; Salt; 1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh Gulf shrimp, or use frozen; Extra-virgin olive oil

By David Tanis

Published June 2, 2021

Grilled Shrimp Skewers With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(317)
Comments: Read comments

Fresh wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico (and the Atlantic coast off the Carolinas and Georgia) are the best option for shrimp lovers. Leave them in the shell, which keeps them juicy, before threading on skewers to grill. These are seasoned only with a little salt, then served with a spicy red pepper sauce that takes cues from the Catalan romesco.

Featured in: A Grilled Shrimp Feast, Best Enjoyed Outdoors

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Red Pepper Sauce

2large red bell peppers
¾cup whole toasted almonds (see Tip)
1teaspoon pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
¼teaspoon ground cayenne
3garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1cup extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

For the Skewers

1½pounds very small potatoes, unpeeled
3medium red onions, unpeeled and quartered
Salt
1½ to 2pounds fresh Gulf shrimp, or use frozen
Extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare a hot charcoal grill. Lay peppers directly on the grill and let them blister, turning frequently until blackened all over, about 8 minutes. Set aside on a plate until cool enough to handle. (Alternatively, roast peppers on the stovetop, directly on the flames of a gas burner.)
Step 2
Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Cut off stems, scrape away skins and seeds, and discard. Do not rinse; a bit of char is OK. Chop the peppers into 2-inch chunks.
Step 3
With a food processor or blender, whirl together peppers, almonds, pimentón, cayenne and garlic to form a rough paste. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil to achieve the consistency of a thick milkshake. Taste, adjust seasoning and transfer to a serving bowl.
Step 4
In a medium saucepan, boil potatoes in well-salted water until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Step 5
Place onion pieces on the grill skin-side down. Salt lightly. Cover with lid and cook until onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Step 6
Place boiled potatoes on grill and cook until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Step 7
Meanwhile, thread shrimp onto skewers, 4 or 5 shrimp per skewer, without crowding. (If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water to prevent burning.) Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Step 8
Lay skewers on grill over hot coals. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook until shrimp turn pink and are a bit charred, 3 minutes more
Step 9
Arrange shrimp, potatoes and onions on a large platter. Serve with the red pepper sauce and lemon wedges.

Tip

To toast almonds, place them in a pie pan in a single layer, and place it in a 400-degree oven. Shake the pan occasionally and bake until almonds are fragrant, crisp and browned, about 10 minutes. To test, cut an almond in half to see that the interior is light brown.

Ratings

4 out of 5

317 user ratings

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Comments

Mike M4 years ago

When roasting red peppers I usually cut them in have and deseed first. I put them cut side UP on the grill to catch any juices. Is there an advantage to doing it with whole peppers instead?

Chuck4 years ago

I agree with your technique of roasting peppers but if I may offer an alternative to the ziploc bag, put the peppers in a glass bowl and cover with a plate. Steam is steam and the pepper skins will release in time. That way you use less plastic. Just a suggestion.

Maeve4 years ago

But the peppers are part of the sauce. They aren't skewered. To answer your question, I cut the (deseeded) peppers in large chunks the same size as the other things that I am putting on the skewers. My peppers always turn over, so I don't ever try to catch the juices.

theodore herzl3 months ago

can i sub olive oil for clarified butter?

s8 months ago

- I used frozen deveined shrimp with tail on as I was making this for two adults and two kids- and I can’t deal with deveining and peeling 3 people’s shrimp while eating. They turned out plump and juicy and only a little bit messy. - This sauce was greatly improved by a few splashes of red wine vinegar. It went from “kind of bad” to excellent. - Grilled potatoes and onions are fine but I’m doing this grilled cherry tomatoes and wild rice the second time.

Vince D1 year ago

Only had a 1/4 cup of sliced almonds to toast in the pantry so I substituted 1/2 a cup of sea salt roasted pistachios to get the complete 3/4 cup the pistachios added some wonderful depth and sweetness to the sauce, and in lieu of the cayenne I used about a teaspoon of Aleppo Pepper, the resulting sauce was a smash hit at the table! The only other change to the recipe I did was to lightly season the potatoes with lemon pepper before they hit the grill.

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