Grilled shrimp and squid

I love summer in Toronto. It’s not too hot, and it’s perfect weather for grilling. I’ve always had a tough time grilling shrimp – usually ending up overcooking it, but this time, they came out perfect. I think grill on medium and putting the shrimp on for 3 minutes on each side is what works perfect for me.

I love calamari. I’ve had grilled calamari a couple of times and I wasn’t very impressed. I saw this recipe online and decided I wanted to try and see if I could do better. The squid is kind of a pain in the ass to clean and cut up, but this was seriously one of the most juiciest and tender squid I’ve ever had (pats self on back). I tried recreating this again, but apparently I lost my mojo and overcooked them. There’s something to be said about low heat and long cooking times for squid. It’s not easy to cook squid, just because the char is hard to get without overcooking them, and the charred parts of the squid are my favorite.

Tina made some fresh salad and some fried potatoes with feta cheese to go with these. I seriously love meals like these. You feel full, but not bloated.

Grilled shrimp and squid recipe

Ingredients
1lb of shrimp
1lb of squid (I bought whole squid, and just cut them into pieces)
Garlic – 2 small cloves or 1 large clove
Extra virgin olive oil – 1/2 cup
3 lemons
Wooden skewers – soak them in water for an hour

Preparation
Mince garlic. Squeeze juice from the lemons till you get 1/4 cup of JUICE. Whisk together olive oil, lemon JUICE, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Taste the marinade. I promise you won’t die. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Now throw those squid pieces in this marinade and let it just sit there chillin for an hour. You can be productive and maybe start warming up your grill, or you could open a beer and watch stupid youtube videos. I also turned the squid around in the marinade once every 15 mins or so – will this do anything? I don’t really know.

Thread the squid through the skewers and make sure you double skewer the flat pieces, so they can kinda lay flat on the grill. Take your marinated squid and throw it on the grill on medium low heat for about 10 mins per side. It sounds like a lot, but trust me, they come out so tender and juicy, and not rubbery. Your patience will be rewarded. After 20 mins, grab a piece and taste, if it still doesnt taste well done, well throw that shit back in the grill till it’s done son.

For the shrimp, I just added lime juice, salt, pepper and 1 tsp of cumin and 1.5 tbsp of hot sauce. Let it sit for a while, and throw on the grill for a couple of mins.

Potato wedges with feta

Ingredients
Potatoes
Oil for pan frying
Herbs de provence

Preparation
Cut po-ta-toes into wedges. Add oil to a pan. Turn up heat to Medium high. Wait till oil turns hot – test by throwing some water drops fiercely into the pan. If they splatter oil and slightly burn your arm, the oil is hot enough.  Add potatoes into pan, and fry for about 5 mins per side. Or just fry till you get the consistency you want. Drain on paper towel, add salt, pepper and herbs de provence (we fancy). Toss. Done.

To bring it all together, create a salad with arugula or your favorite greens and onions, tomatoes. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Spend money on balsamic vinegar. $30 for a bottle is good. The difference is huge. And it’s not a monthly expense. A bottle is going to last you a year or so. Are you seriously considering your expense of $10 vs $30 over a year? Just don’t eat out a couple of times IN A YEAR and that will pay for the awesome balsamic vinegar. Put everything on plate. Crumble feta over the potatoes. Add shrimp and squid on salad, serve with a lemon wedge. I like a lemon half for easy squeezing.