Zucchini Ribbons with Grilled Shrimp

I made this last year for the first time and it was big hit.  With all the festivities with MDW I couldn’t think of a better time to make this.  It cooks in a snap and is wonderful served hot, warm or cold.  Perfect for any backyard BBQ or party.

1 small red onion diced (about 1/4 cup)

1 10 oz. package Mariano/grape/cherry tomatoes

1 large zucchini/yellow squash, peeled with a veggie peeler or mandoline into ribbons

2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 Tbsp. coarsely basil leaves

Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 2 Tbsp.)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Dash of red pepper flakes

1/2 lb. wild large shrimp, tails on

Chili lime rub, (highly recommend the Williams-Sonoma brand)

Directions
Rinse shrimp and drain, place in bowl. Sprinkle with approximately 1-2 Tbsp. of rub. Mix well. Place on grilling skewers.

Hint use 2 skewers; 1 towards the head end and one towards the tail end. This will help keep your shrimp from turning on the skewer and keep them flat on the grill. Set aside, preheat grill.

On stovetop heat up a large frying pan over med hi heat. Drizzle with app. 1/4 cup of olive oil. To this add in your tomatoes and onions. Toss a bit and let cook. You want the heat of the pan to sear the tomatoes and pop the skins some. The onions will brown a bit, adding flavor. Salt and pepper to taste. When tomatoes start popping add in your squash and toss to coat with tomato, onion mixture. Re-season with salt and pepper, if needed. When softened enough stir in chopped parsley and red pepper flakes. Cover and turn off heat.

As your zucchini cooks, place shrimp skewers on grill and cook about 5 minutes to get a nice sear and grill marks. Flip shrimp, close lid and turn heat off. Wait about 2 minutes. The residual heat from grill is enough to cook the other side of the shrimp. Remove shrimp from grill.

To your zucchini add in the chopped basil and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan.

Remove shrimp from skewers and place on top.

This recipe would serve 2 big sized portions.  I used the large shrimp so I had 12 shrimp in total.