Old Bay Grilled Shrimp Secret Ingredient

 Old Bay Grilled Shrimp

Time: 35 Minutes 

However, the secret ingredient may be the baking soda, which preserves the shrimp snappy and soft. The charm of this grilled shrimp recipe comes in the combination of sweet shrimp, savory Old Bay, and the singe of the grill. Old Bay seasoning, a well-known mixture of sweet paprika, celery seed, dried mustard, and other unidentified spices, is frequently used on Maryland blue crabs, but once you try it on shrimp, you'll long to use it on other foods as well. (Try eating corn or drinking a Bloody Mary.) Lemon, garlic, and parsley provide brightness to this dish, but spicy sauce, mayonnaise, or drawn butter wouldn't be out of place too.

INGREDIENTS

Yield:

4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

2 teaspoons Old Bay or Cajun seasoning

Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Salt and pepper

1½ pounds large, tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry

1 lemon

¼ cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro leaves and stems

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

PREPARATION For Old Bay Grilled Shrimp

Step 1

Heat a grill to high. (You can also cook the shrimp in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, following the same timing.) In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, Old Bay, baking soda and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Step 2

Finely grate the zest of the lemon into a small bowl. Add the parsley and garlic and stir to combine. Cut the lemon into wedges for serving.

Step 3

Clean and lightly oil the grates. Grill the shrimp until well browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using a gas grill, cover grill between flips.)

Step 4

Transfer the shrimp to a platter and top with the lemon-herb mixture. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.