Not Your Ordinary Grilled Shrimp & Seafood
Background: We love spending time out on the patio grilling with family and friends. This is a fun and easy way to cook a nice seafood dish outside while still being present. Serves 4
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, divided
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup cherry tomatoes, each halved
½ cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped into bite sized pieces (these are found in jars usually amongst the jarred olives)
2 tablespoons chili paste, or more to taste
24 littleneck clams, washed and scrubbed
1 pound white fish, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
12 large shrimp, cleaned and shells taken off
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 or more slices of country-style bread, sliced thick
olive oil
kosher or sea salt and pepper
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Method:
Prepare a grill for medium, indirect heat. For a gas grill, light one side. For a charcoal grill, push coals off to one side of the grill. Place a large cast-iron pan on the grill over direct heat, feel free to move it to a cooler part of the grill throughout cooking. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in cast iron pan. Add shallots, stirring often, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add tomato paste and stir constantly for another minute. Add white wine and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced to about half its volume, which will take several minutes. Stir in roasted red bell peppers and chili paste, then add shrimp, clams and fish. Cover with foil or a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until clams have opened, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, throw out any clams that did not open. Stir in lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
While the clams are cooking, lightly coat bread with olive oil and season with salt. Put on the grill until toasted, about 2 minutes per side.
Ladle into wide shallow bowls, top with cilantro and serve with the toasted bread and some white wine like our 2017 Enotria Arneis.
Note: The time for this recipe is really dependent on how hot your grill gets, so use the listed times as a suggestion.