CHIPOTLE LIME SHRIMP WITH GRILLED CORN AND QUINOA SALAD
•This dish is as delicious as it is beautiful, a real stunner. A combination of smoky and bright flavors with a little kick. Everything can be cooked on the BBQ (even the quinoa if you have a side burner) or on the stove with a grill pan. If you’re not sure about quinoa; wild rice would be just as yummy, but not pack that extra protein. There are a few steps to put this all together, but I try to break it down for you so you can have it done and in your belly in about a hour.
*Soak skewers in water if using wooden (see below)
In a small pot on the stove bring to a boil 1 1/2 cups water and a good pinch of salt. Add quinoa, reduce heat to med high and cook until quinoa is done (about 15 min until the little “tails” start popping out). Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside. While the quinoa is cooking, mix together in a large bowl, all of the ingredients for the dressing. Wash the tomatoes, chop up the red pepper, onion and jalapeño and add to the bowl with the dressing. Once the quinoa is cool, add to the bowl, mix well, and pop in the fridge, uncovered, for at least a half hour. Make sure to stir every so often. This step can be done a couple hours ahead of time.
All the salad fixins
Ok, now to the shrimp. In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the shrimp marinade. Skewer the shrimp on metal skewers. *If using wooden skewers make sure to soak in some water first so they don’t burn. Place the shrimp in a rimmed dish and pour over the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least a half hour, but no more then a hour. This step can also be done ahead of time, make the marinade and skewer the shrimp, just DON’T pour over the marinade- the shrimp will start cooking if left in the marinade too long.
For the corn- Turn on your grill to high heat or heat a skillet grill pan to high heat. I saw on that time suck place called Pinterest that if you cut 1 inch off the base of the corn that the silk will just come right off….tried it twice, didn’t work for me. Anyways, remove the husk and silk and rub with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. I used a grill pan- add the corn to the hot hot pan and turn just to get the beautiful grill marks. Remove pan from the heat and find your gumption and a lid that will cover the pan. Pour 1 cup of water into the pan (be careful of all the hot steam) cover with lid and let the corn steam and finish cooking, about 10-15 min. Remove the corn, dump the water and get pan back on the stove, heat to high heat. If you are going to use the grill-cook the corn over direct heat to get the beautiful grill marks, then move to a side with indirect heat, close lid and let cook until finished, about 10-15 min. Remove and let cool slightly.
Back to the shrimp- remove from fridge and shake off any excess marinade. Cook over direct heat on grill or in hot grill pan until the shrimp turn pink and are translucent inside, turning once. This will take 3-6 min.
Putting it all together- Pull the quinoa and veggie mix from the fridge, give it a good stir then mix in the cilantro leaves. Stand the corn straight up on a plate, and move a sharp knife down the sides removing the corn kernels. Add to the salad and disperse into serving bowls. Remove shrimp from the skewers, using a fork to slide down or keep on the skewers and serve on top of the salad. This dish packs a lot of punch, serve with some crusty grilled bread and a cold beer, sit back♥Enjoy
•Need a use for the extra chipotle in adobo? Give these a whirl
chipotle ranch chicken taco salad
spicy dr pepper chipotle pulled pork tacos
