Barbecued Shrimp with Hoisin Sauce and Watermelon Salsa
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
1 pound large shrimp (16/20), peeled and deveined, tails left intact
1/8 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. garlic, roasted, chopped
2 tsp. ginger, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
salt and white pepper, to taste
12 6-inch wooden skewers
Watermelon salsa:
3 cups seedless watermelon, diced fine
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. jalapeno chiles, finely diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped fine
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh giner, peeled and chopped fine
Instructions:
To prepare the shrimp:
Soak the bamboo skewers in some hot water for about 20 minutes. Marinate the cleaned shrimp in the olive oil, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, green onions and hoisin sauce. Skewer 3 shrimp onto each of the 12 skewers.
To make the salsa:
Combine the diced watermelon, red onion, chiles and cilantro in a glass bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Season the salsa to taste with some salt and pepper.
To grill the shrimp:
Grill each of the shrimp skewers for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Mound some of the salsa on the center of a serving plate and place a shrimp skewer directly on top of the salsa. Using a squirt bottle, drizzle some of the hoisin sauce over each plate. Garnish with a few sprigs of the cilantro — one in each corner of the plate. Place a lemon wheel at the point of each skewer.
Recipe by Chef Rigo Gutierrez of Zocalo Grill, San Diego, CA.