Tag: main course
Blackened Grilled Shrimp
Blackened Grilled Shrimp
Blackened seasoning was made popular in the 1980’s by the godfather of Cajun and Creole cooking, Paul Prudhomme. The seasoning was used to mimic open-fire grilling, but on cast iron in a commercial restaurant kitchen; creating a blackened crust. Blackened seasoning is great on chicken, fish, seafood, and vegetables; giving a nice smokey flavor.
Equipment
- metal skewers
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1 lb 16-20 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined
Blackened Seasoning
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together the blackened seasoning.
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Toss the shrimp with the blackened seasoning.
- Add 5-6 shrimp on each skewer.
- Let the charcoal turn gray in a chimney starter. Pour the charcoal into the grill in a single layer and place on the grill grate. Place the skewers directly over the charcoal.
- Grill for 3-4 minutes a side until the shrimp are cooked through.
Mexican-Style Grilled Chicken Hearts
Mexican-Style Grilled Chicken Hearts
Chicken hearts are such an underrated organ. They’re quite tender and fairly inexpensive. They might be hard to find in regular grocery stores. The best place to find them is at Mexican or Arabic ethnic markets. These hearts are citrusy in flavor with a little heat from the ancho chili powder. They grill up in about 10 minutes and are great as the protein on tacos.
Equipment
- metal skewers
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1/2 orange juiced and zested
- 1/2 lemon juiced and zested
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb chicken hearts
Chicken Heart Tacos
- corn tortillas
- cilantro chopped
- white onion finely chopped
- you favorite hot sauce
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the chicken hearts for 4 hours.
- Place 10 chicken hearts on each skewer(you get about 40 hearts per lb).
- Start the charcoal in a chimney starter until they turn gray. Pour into the grill in a single layer and place on the grill grate. Place the skewers directly over the charcoal.
- Grill the hearts for 5-6 minutes a side.
Vietnamese Sweet Lamb Shanks
Vietnamese Sweet Lamb Shanks
Much like Vietnamese sweet pork belly, these lamb shanks are to die for. The shanks are browned with shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chilies, and ginger; then braised with coconut water, dark soy, fish sauce, and brown sugar. The shank meat is so tender that you barely have to chew it. Other cuts of meat that would work well in this recipe include lamb shoulder, beef short ribs, chuck, pork shoulder, baby back or spareribs, pork shanks, and even chicken thighs.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs lamb shanks each cut into 3 pieces
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup shallots sliced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 stalks lemongrass finely chopped
- 2 red chilies finely chopped
- 1 thumb ginger split in half
- 2 cups coconut water
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a large oven sage sauté pan over medium high heat. Brown the lamb shanks on all sides for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Sauté the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chilies and ginger for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut water, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Add the lamb shanks back into the pan. Cover. Bring to a boil. Place in a preheated 300 degree oven for 2 hours.
- Place the pan on the stove top. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
