I made these shrimp skewers one evening without knowing what would come out of it. That’s because I was again working my way through my freezer collection. Not sure about you but here I build up quite a lot of food.
I just can’t throw anything away, how about you?!
And here’s why.
We wouldn’t be home for one month because we had a long holiday in front of us in the US. And I always think that holidays are like a good opportunity to give our freezer a much needed rest and let the growing layer of ice defrost.
Hey I like dinners with freezer leftovers.
Freezer Diving
It sometimes saves us from going to the supermarket for one week on end.
However those dinners can also be a little eclectic. So this night we were planning on having some leftover shepherd’s pie. But then when I took that dinner out of the freezer, I saw a small bag of shrimp there.
Not enough for a seafood curry or a stir fry.
So I decided to let them thaw and turn them into a little pre dinner snack. I usually make deep fried crunchy shrimp with a nacho crust. However pistachios were the closest crunchy thing I could find to replace the nachos.
These shrimp skewers were a great bite I must say!
Easy Shrimp Skewers with Peanut Crust
Yum!
I do remember buying them, preparing some shrimp tacos and a delightful prawn and saffron pasta with them and putting the handful of leftover prawns back into the freezer but I must have forgotten about them somehow.
So my weekly menu was already planned then but as usual there is always room for an appetizer, right? I made a simple crust with peanuts, lemon juice, olive oil and fresh cilantro.
This crunchy coating came out wonderfully once grilled, just the way I had wished it to be!
Enjoy!
Easy Shrimp Skewers Recipe
- 10 raw shrimp
- a handful salted peanuts
- 1 small garlic clove chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- olive oil
- a handful fresh cilantro
- pepper
- salt
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Thaw the shrimp if you're using frozen ones. Peel and clean the shrimp. Remove the heads (if you bought entire shrimp) and scales. I left the tiny tail part attached, looks better for presentation. Rinse the peeled shrimp under cold running tap water and drain.
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Add the peanuts, garlic, fresh cilantro and lemon juice to a clean blender.
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Pulse into a fine crumble. Then add a splash of olive oil and season with a little pepper and salt.
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Pulse again. Add extra olive oil if necessary. The peanut marinade has to be lumpy, not runny. Check the seasoning as well and add more pepper, salt and lemon juice to taste if necessary. Transfer the cleaned shrimp to a large mixing bowl and add the peanut marinade.
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Stir well until the shrimp are coated entirely. Thread each shrimp on a little skewer (you can also thread more shrimp on a larger skewer and serve it as a main dish!). Then place the skewers on a baking tray. Sprinkle with extra pepper and salt.
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Roast the shrimp under a preheated grill for 3 minutes. Take them out, flip the shrimp over and grill them on the side for another 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp and peanut skewers hot.
