Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce

I decided to pull out a few cookbooks from my modest library recently that I hadn't cracked open in far too long.  I quickly tabbed a bunch of recipes to make including several in At Blanchard's Table:  A Trip to the Beach Cookbook.  The Blanchards uprooted their successful life in Vermont, moved to the island of Anguilla, and opened a restaurant.  I love their story and their cookbooks.  Pick up their memoir and I promise you will be yearning to start your own adventure.

Their recipe for Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce is easy, elegant, and delicious. We love shrimp around here but find it is often lacking in flavor.  I was surprised that these shrimp had such a fabulous flavor with so few ingredients.  Breadcrumbs soak up olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley.  The breadcrumbs are then piled on the shrimp before they are quickly grilled or broiled.  A three-ingredient soy sesame sauce is drizzled over the completed skewers.  Prep your shrimp in advance and this recipe goes from prep to plate in less than fifteen minutes.

As evidenced in the picture above, I didn't soak the wood skewers and spent a little bit of time at the grill literally putting out fires.  Didn't negatively impact the flavor one bit though.  After taste-testing the soy sesame sauce I wasn't sure that the strong flavors wouldn't detract from the shrimp, but I drizzled some on in the spirit of completing the recipe as written.  And it worked, complementing the shrimp perfectly.

Not only will this cookbook be a regular on my kitchen counter, but I am planning on making this recipe again this week!

Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce
At Blanchard's Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook, Melinda Blanchard and Robert Blanchard

1 pound large shrimp
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup dry, unflavored bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Soy - Sesame Sauce (recipe follows)
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Prepare the grill or preheat the broiler.

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on.  Using a small knife, butterfly the shrimp by slicing down the length of the inside of each.  Be careful not cut cut all the way through.  Spread and flatten the butterflied shrimp.

Weave the shrimp onto the skewers, making sure the skewer is pierced through each in three places to keep the shrimp from curling around.  In a medium bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Put the breadcrumb mixture in a pile on a cutting board.  Coat both sides of the shrimp with the breadcrumbs.  Grill or broil on both sides until just done, about 4 minutes.  Drizzle with the Soy-Sesame Sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.

Soy-Sesame Sauce
makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together.