Tips On How To Grill Shrimp
You shouldn't spend too much money on a book titled "How To Grill Shrimp", especially if it is a very thick book, as grilling shrimp is as easy as can be. That doesn't mean you can't do it wrong, ruining the taste - of course you can. But as far as grilling is concerned, about all there is to it is cooking over medium heat, and not cooking them for too long. Most mistakes people make when attempting to figure out how to grill shrimp is that they cook them over high heat and for too long, ending up with a tough and not terribly good tasting piece of shellfish.
Most everything you need to know as far as how to grill shrimp is concerned lies in the preparation. It's here where the eventual flavor is created, and there's no lack of variety when it comes to flavor. The shrimp itself tastes like, shrimp. It doesn't matter much where the shrimp comes from, or what size the shrimp is. Some will say that the tiny shrimp are sweeter, and they may have a point. Tiny shrimp however, can be more difficult to grill. In general, when grilling shrimp you want medium to large sizes to work with.
Frozen Is OK - Most of the shrimp you purchase today, not including canned shrimp of course, are frozen, especially if they come from a foreign land. Even most of the shrimp harvested in the United States is frozen long before it reaches the supermarket shelves. Once exception would be if you live by the coast, and are able to find a source of freshly caught shrimp. Freshly caught shrimp may or may not taste better than frozen shrimp, but from a psychological standpoint, they sure seem too. In general, whether the shrimp you purchase are labeled as coming from Greenland, China, Vietnam, or the USA, they will taste the same, that is before you grill them in your own special way.
Variations - It's probably best to get a book on grilling seafood, or go online, to find a recipe for how to grill shrimp that will give you a flavor you'll really enjoy. When you stop to think about it, you can prepare Cajun Shrimp, Tex-Mex shrimp, Thai shrimp, Italian shrimp, you name it. See the movie "Forrest Gump" for more ideas on how to prepare shrimp.
Grilling - As far as the grilling itself is concerned, we've already mentioned medium heat, and medium heat is what you should use. Never attempt to grill shrimp over high heat, they cook too quickly. You can place shrimp on the grill, if the shrimp are large enough (plan on a few falling through the grill anyway), put them in a grilling basket, certainly advisable for smaller shrimp, or put them on skewers, serving them kabob style. You can grill them with shells on or peeled, but if grilling them with shells on, the shrimp should be de-veined first. It's not too difficult to find shrimp on the market which have been de-veined but are still in their shells. These are called E-Z peel shrimp.
One nice thing about grilling shrimp is that you can choose from among quite a variety of marinades when preparing them. The shrimp cook so quickly that sweet marinades won't burn, or otherwise impart a bad taste to the shrimp.
Color Matters - One of the nicer things associated with how to grill shrimp is that you don't have to go through the trouble of using a meat thermometer. The shrimp tell you when they're done. They change color. When they change from their natural gray to a pink or red, they're done, and so are you.