Shrimp isn’t my favorite seafood to eat, but it’s my favorite to buy. And by favorite, I mean least stressful. I know the “rules” about buying shrimp so it’s quick and easy to pick out what I want and move on. Fish is another story entirely. I stand in front of the display mulling over my decision forever, and at the end of the day, I’m still never entirely confident I’ve made the best selection – did I choose something sustainable (I do have the Monterey Bay app on my phone, but sometimes I’m still clueless), is it really fresh? I’m also a total worrywart, which probably doesn’t help this situation any. I need fish shopping lessons. Any takers?? π
All that said, when I wanted to add seafood to our menu this week, I chose a shrimp dish. This tequila-orange grilled shrimp immediately caught my eye when I was looking for ideas. It was part of Martha Stewart’s “Simple Suppers” series and since a lot of the other meals I had planned for the week were pretty involved, it was ideal. The inclusion of tequila, lime and jalapeno made it perfect for this week leading up to Cinco de Mayo too!
Even with the prep involved, I had this meal on the table in not much more than 30 minutes, and I spent 10 of those trying to squeeze every last drop of juice from my oranges π The shrimp are quickly marinated in a combination of olive oil, jalapeno, garlic and lime zest, and in the meantime you make a simple sauce of orange juice, tequila, more jalapeno and garlic, and butter. The sauce is reduced until it’s syrupy then poured over the shrimp, which are grilled to perfection in the blink of an eye. I had hoped to cook this shrimp outside because lingering shrimp smell – ewwww – but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate. That minor annoyance aside, the meal was a big hit. Shane had cleaned his plate by the time I photographed mine, always a sign of a repeat recipe here.
Tequila-Orange Grilled Shrimp
barely adapted from Martha Stewart
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno, very finely chopped (divided)
2 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
zest of 1 lime
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
1/4 cup tequila
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
lime wedges, for serving
Add the shrimp, olive oil, half of the chopped jalapeno, half of the minced garlic, and the lime zest to a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper then toss to coat evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining jalapeno and garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, orange juice, and tequila. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency, about 7-9 minutes. Stir in the butter until completely melted and incorporated. Cover the pan to keep the sauce warm.
Set a grill pan over medium-high to high heat. When it’s hot, cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, or until opaque. Remove the shrimp to a platter and pour the tequila sauce over them. Garnish with chives before serving. Serve with rice and lime wedges.
I love that the shrimp are marinated in a great medley of flavors. I don’t buy shrimp too often but I need to make some shrimp tacos soon so these tequila ones sound great π
This was a great meal, thanks for making it!
I miss living on the Gulf – the “rule” of fish buying was drive until you find someone selling out of the back of their pick-up. Nowadays, I’m suck with the frozen stuff unless I want to pay $20/pound. π
I do love shrimp though! Especially if it has tequila on it. YUM!! Also, I love that Shane commented! So sweet!
I wish I wasn’t allergic to shrimp; the flavors sound fabulous!
For me shrimp is the ideal seafood. It is so easy to cook. This sauce sounds perfect. As to buying fish, ask when it came in to the store. If it is more than 24 hours, skip it. Then ask to smell it. Yep, I do it all the time. It should smell like the ocean they say but definitely not fishy. If in doubt, skip it.
Like the addition of green lime on the side.. perfectly made lunch plate…
-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!
yummmm! I love shrimp and those look so tasty!
Living in Seattle has its perks of almost always getting fresh seafood. You want it to smell like the sea, not fishy. If you can look at the whole fish, their eyes should be clear, not cloudy. And if the place smells like bleach or cleaning supplies, run!
I wouldn’t worry about the whole sustainable fish thing. Most of the fish in our stores are from sustainable stocks. I always buy wild fish over farmed because farmed fish are sometimes fed hormones or other chemicals to brighten their color, which is yucky to me.
Hope that helps!
For some reason, I would have never thought to pair tequila and orange. But since you did, I am so intrigued. I bet it’s so perfect together. This sound so, so good!
These look amazing. Nothing better than shrimp, but grilled. Heaven!!
I have all the ingredients, I would love to make this recipe, such a cool way to use tequila!! π
Yum! Shrimp is about the only seafood I can handle. This looks like great flavors together.
My family always has shrimp at weekend get-togethers. Bookmarking this to try with them this summer!
you had me at tequila π
I have no clue how to buy fish either! LOL. Shrimp is my go to seafood. This sounds delicious. What was the spice factor with the jalapeno? Hubs isn’t too big on spicy but I would love to try this dish.
@Gloria – I took out the seeds and ribs and didn’t find the dish had much heat. For reference, I’m a big wimp when it comes to spice too π It’s entirely possible my jalapeno wasn’t very hot, but if you’re worried, you could always halve the jalapeno or taste it to make sure you didn’t get a super hot one.
I think I’ll be making these soon!
I ended up using very little of the tequila sauce. I found it overpowering to the citrus flavors. I think I would end up finding another recipe that didn’t use the tequila, but that’s just me. I know there are those out there that love alcohol flavors in their foods.
I was just wondering if there is a way to skip the butter, or a substitute that could be used! Sounds amazing though! I want to try this summer!