Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp: Local Foods for The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's time to share another Cooking Light recipe with The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  This month the theme is 100 Miles of Flavor.  Each of us had to find a food ingredient that is locally made or grown within 100 miles of where we live.  At first, I couldn't think of any locally grown food within 100 miles of where I live, which is Pensacola, FL.  I kept thinking of Georgia corn or Alabama peaches.  But those food items aren't in season right now.  Then I had one of those "duh" moments.  Pensacola lies on the Gulf of Mexico.  Local seafood.  Right here in my own "backyard".  


We eat seafood once or twice a week.  We love seafood and are very lucky that we have a fantastic seafood market here (Joe Patti's Seafood) that gets a variety of fresh seafood from the Gulf of Mexico as well all over the world.  I chose shrimp as my local ingredient.  There is nothing like Gulf Shrimp.  When the BP Oil Spill hit this region last summer, it was devastating.  I could go on and on about the oil spill and what it did to our waters, sea life, beaches, economy and our lifestyle here and to our nearby cities but I won't get into that discussion now.  I'm happy to see that our beaches and waters are coming back and I'm starting to see Gulf of Mexico shrimp back at Joe Patti's.  They are also still getting shrimp from the East Coast as well as other safe areas.  


If you like grilled shrimp, you will love this recipe.  You marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes in a mixture of cilantro, ginger, lime juice, garlic, jalepeno pepper and a few other ingredients.  Place them on skewers and grill for 5 minutes or so until done.  The shrimp had a wonderful flavor to it.  It was a great way to showcase my local food - Gulf of Mexico Shrimp!        

Click here for the printable recipe on Myrecipes.com

Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp

Recipe by Cooking Light

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 skewers)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 2  tablespoons  chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 4  garlic cloves, chopped
• 1  jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2  pounds  large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 32 shrimp)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a food processor, and process until coarsely chopped.

2. Combine cilantro mixture and shrimp in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake well. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade. Thread 4 shrimp on each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Place shrimp skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes or until done, turning once.

What other local foods were brought to the dinner table this month?

Check out the links and menu below.

Jamie (me) - Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp

Mary Ann (Meet Me in the Kitchen) - Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) - Peas and Orzo with Pesto

Jerry (Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants) - Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce

Roz (La Bella Vita) - Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone Cheese

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Fallen Chocolate Cake with Cherry Red Wine Sauce

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: When using wooden skewers to grill your seafood, meats and vegetables, don't forget to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.  This will prevent them from burning and catching on fire.