Grilled Marinated Shrimp

Grilled shrimp?  It's like cheating, right?  What's strange about grilled shrimp? 

 

The only thing strange about the avocado salad is that I bought a Florida avocado instead of the usual Hass.  If you're not familiar with the varieties, Hass avocados (sometimes referred to as Haas) are the most widely cultivated avocados in the world.  They are the bumpy black skinned ones that fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.   Developed in 1926 by a California mail carrier named Rudolph Hass, they are very nutty tasting and have a high oil content which contributes to their smooth and creamy texture.  Interestingly enough, Hass patented his tree but never made much money from it.  It was the first U.S. patent ever issued for a tree. 

Florida avocados are much larger with a smooth bright green skin.  When ripe, the texture is usually firmer than the Hass and the taste has a bright citrusy note.  Generally, I use Florida avocados for salads when I can find them.  Hass is almost always available. 

Avocados will continue to ripen after harvesting, so don't be afraid to buy hard green Hass.  A day or two on your kitchen counter and they will soften and the skin will darken.  If you want to speed up the process, place the avocados in a paper bag with an apple.  (Apples emit ethylene gas which promotes ripening.  This trick works for bananas, too.) 

But I digress.  Again.  Where's my strange food?  Well, I wouldn't call it strange, exactly.  More like unfamiliar.  Tired of guessing?  You can stop anyway because you're not going to get it unless you've developed telepathy that transcends time and space.  It's Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar which I will refer to as OMCV from now on.  Maybe it will catch on.  It could happen.  When Rachel Ray started saying EVOO, we thought it was goofy but she's like a gazillionare now.  So who's laughing all the way to the bank? 

OMCV.   At first glance, I dismissed it.  Yuck, sweet.  My culinary blind spot.  I don't like sweet stuff.  Which sounds crazy to most people but it is what it is.  Back to the subject at hand.  I decided to check it out so I starting reading the bottle.  Suggested uses: dress a salad, marinate chicken or shrimp, combine with sesame oil for Chinese chicken salad.  Big deal.  But then it suggests: "For a refreshing spritzer, add 3 tablespoons to a glass full of sparkling water and crushed ice."  Seriously?  I want vinegar in my drink?  But before you run away in horror, hear me out.  I looked at the ingredients.  I assumed that it was orange vinegar, muscat vinegar and champagne vinegar.  Wrong answer.  It actually is champagne vinegar with orange juice, sugar, fresh oranges, and muscat grape juice. 

Hmm.  This poses a dilemma.  I'm intrigued by the thought of tasting that spritzer because it sounds disgusting.  But now I'm thinking that it's going to be something so sweet that I won't use the rest of the bottle and it ain't cheap.  I'm torn.  Finally the vinegar drink wins me over, so I bought it. 

I tried the spritzer.  "Refreshing" is not the word that came to mind after the first sip.  "Bizarre" is a much better word.  But like so many other things I've tasted, you can't go by your initial reaction.  Sometimes, you're completely unprepared and your tastebuds go into shock.  Especially when it's a flavor profile that you wouldn't have ever thought would be harmonious.  And most people wouldn't even try it on a bet.  So I took another sip.  And another.  And another.  I started viewing my  attraction to it now as somewhat masochistic. 

My beloved wandered into the kitchen, so I said, "here, try this".  Without hesitation, he grabbed the glass and took a huge swig.  Then he screamed.  Not a little girl scream.  More like a wounded animal scream.  He shook his head back and forth like a wet dog, managed to say "Aaaagggh" and then stomped his foot.  When he finally caught his breath, he declared it to have a weird super-tart aspirin taste.  Shook his head again and ran from the kitchen which had suddenly become Dante's fourth circle of hell.  I drank the rest of the spritzer.  It's like sweet pickle soda.  You have to admit, THAT'S very strange.   

I mixed about two parts OMCV with three parts EVOO and put it in a ziiploc bag.  I peeled the shrimp and dropped them in the marinade.  I let them hang out for about 30 minutes.  I fired up the grill and threaded the shrimp on bamboo skewers.  I always use 2 skewers because it makes them a lot easier to flip.  I mixed some more OMCV and EVOO and added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper and a dollop of dijon mustard.  Voila!  Salad dressing for the peeled and cubed avocado. 

The verdict?  Awesome marinade.  Pretty tasty salad dressing.  Spritzer?  You'll have to buy a bottle of OMCV and try it for yourself.  I dare you.

Buy something you haven't tried and play with your food!