Grilled Chipotle Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Great as an appetizer, hors d'oeuvres or as an entree, spicy and delicious, they can be cooked over coals, on a gas grill, under an broiler or in a grill pan.
I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website and modified it to ingredients that I had on hand, eliminating the brown sugar from the original recipe and substituting Splenda. It was terrific. You can go with any kind of jumbo shrimp, but the frozen variety already peeled and de-veined is convenient and totally delicious. The dish can be made as an appetizer or served as hors d’oeuvres with the delicious cilantro dipping sauce, or it can be served as an entree in pasta, over rice or wrapped up in a flour tortilla.
A Cast Iron Stovetop Grill Pan Makes a Difference
You can grill the shrimp on an outdoor grill, which is a delicious way to go, or you can cook them in grill pan. If you have a gas or induction stove, I recommend one made of cast iron. I would not recommend it for an electric stove, however. The advantage of using cast iron is that it will carry more heat which provides a bit of char, to add flavor and visual appeal to the dish. And the pan collects a delicious sauce that works well if you’ll be enjoying these as an entree.
Grilled Chipotle Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs large or jumbo shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails removed
- 1/4 cup Splenda
- 2 tbsp Chipotle chili powder
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup dark Mexican beer (like, Modelo Negra)
- juice of one fresh lime
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp Adobo with Pepper Seasoning
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- grated zest of one lime
- 1 tsp lime juice
- dash of onion powder
- dash of fine sea salt
- 7-8 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix the Splenda, Chipotle chili powder, garlic, Mexican Beer, lime juice, olive oil, and the Adobo seasoning in a jar or mixing bowl. Shake or whisk well.
- Enure the shrimp is dry, then pour the marinade over the shrimp in a Ziploc bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- In the mean time, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, lime zest and juice, onion powder, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place the sauce in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Remove the shrimp from the Ziploc bag and reserve half the marinade. Pat thr shrimp dry with paper towels.
- In a hot grill pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until they loose their transparency and start to take on a bit of char.
- Once the shrimp are cooked, add the reserved marinade to the pan and allow it to simmer for a minute and reduce slightly.
- Arrange the shrimp on your plate and garnish with the chopped cilantro. Drizzle the pan gravy over the shrimp and serve alongside a dollop of the dipping sauce.
Notes
- Frozen shrimp thaw very quickly in a colander under cold running water, turning and tossing the shrimp frequently to get its cold water shower.
- Do this about 30 minutes prior to cooking, then dry the shrimp well and roll up into paper towels. Allow them to rest in the fridge until ready to use.
- If you choose to grill the shrimp on a gas or charcoal grill, place half the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for 1 minute before serving.
