Grilled Shrimp Cocktail

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The land-locked seafood monster has struck again.

The product: Jumbo raw frozen shrimp with tails and shells removed.

Location: Kroger, Fort Wayne (Dupont & Coldwater Road)

I wanted large shrimp that I could skewer and grill. I decided to splurge and get jumbo shrimp – the bag cost $10.99.

The dish started out awesome. The cocktail sauce was fantastic! The sriracha was just the right touch. It added a little heat along with the horseradish. It was then balanced out by the acid of the lemon juice and the sweetness of the ketchup. If you need a cocktail sauce, this is the recipe. The quality of the sauce got me really excited about the shrimp.

I used running cold water to thaw them and the process took just a few minutes. Once the thawing was nearing the end I could tell there was something weird, the shrimp was partially cured or cooked, maybe even freezer burnt. It was not translucent like raw shrimp should be. I’ve worked with raw shrimp many times and something was amiss with this batch. It didn’t smell bad, but there was a hint of bleach.

Skeptically, I kept going, skewering and seasoning the shrimp. I grilled them to just cooked through. I took one of the bigger pieces, dipped it in the sauce and took a big bite.

Like I said, the sauce was off the hook, but the shrimp had a brined solution-soaked taste. Either something had been done to these before they were frozen to slow the spoiling process, or they were freezer burnt. I’m leaning to the toward the former because of the peculiar taste. What a let-down. The recipe is great, but my product was suspect!

I’m so tired of getting ripped off here in the Midwest with bullshit seafood that smells fishy (because is starting to spoil), or, like this shrimp – had been soaked in a preservative or frozen for way to long. I only ate two out of 16! That's $11 down the drain. This would have been so awesome had I been working with quality product.

I need fresh seafood!

BEHIND THIS BITE
As disappointed as I am with the shrimp, I’m equally as impressed with the sauce. I want to try this with some quality seafood. I think the secret was the sriracha, as I mentioned before, the garlicky heat that it added really put this sauce over the top and I can’t wait to make it again.

I think it’s about time for a visit to my old neighborhood in Queens to see some old friends. I know I can get fresh seafood there and this sauce will be as big a hit as perfectly cooked shrimp right out of the ocean!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Serves 2; 30 minutes
1/2 C Ketchup
1 Tbs Horseradish
2 tsp Sriracha sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
8 Bambo skewers
1 lb Jumbo or large shrimp

Soak skewers, make cocktail sauce
Submerge skewers in cold water and soak for at least 20 minutes. In a small bowl mix together ketchup, horseradish, sriracha, worcestershire and lemon juice. Stir until well combine and refrigerate for thirty minutes for flavors to meld.

Skewer and grill shrimp, serve
Double skewer shrimp. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill over high heat until cooked through and opaque, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from skewers and serve with cocktail sauce.