Single Pan Chimichurri Shrimp
Shrimp Tips
Night diving for shrimp is a fun group activity and makes for a great catch and cook on the beach afterwards. While shrimp can be caught during the day, they seem to more docile and easier to grab by hand as required in California at night. The trick to successfully grabbing them is to move unbearably slow and resist the urge to try and snatch them up quickly as they will get away every time. Put one hand in front of them and one hand behind and slowly inch your hands closer together until the shrimp is literally in your hands. With that method they won’t move until it’s to late.
For a game bag, something with a one way gate type opening is recommendable. I made my own by cutting the top off of a funnel and attaching it to a mesh bag with zip ties with the tail of the zip ties going into the funnel creating a gate that you can push the shrimp through but they can’t get back out. The shrimp are escape artists and will bolt out of a standard lobster bag or game bag every time you open it to put a new one in. With some practice and a few buddies you can easily get 50-100 shrimp in an hour or so.
Step 1: Get Saucy
Before leaving home for the beach make the cooking sauce and sriracha aioli dipping sauce. Both sauces for our catch and cook were made by Sarah.
Chimichurri Sauce:
2 C Parsley, chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 C Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt (Learn to make your own here)
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
In a small glass bowl, mix all of the ingredients thoroughly and let sit for at least a few hours in the refrigerator. Additional salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
Chili Sriracha Aioli Dipping Sauce:
1 1/2 C Mayonnaise
1 C Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 Tbsp Sriracha (1 additional Tbsp to up the heat)
In a glass bowl, mix ingredients together and chill in refrigerator or cooler with ice until ready to use.
Step 2: Process the Shrimp
To clean the shrimp, you twist the head off and pull away from the body like you would a lobster. Gently pull the back vein out, peel the shell off and discard. Alternatively you can use a knife to butterfly the shrimp from the back and get the back vein out by rubbing your thumb along the vein. Then rinse in a bowl of water.
Tip: if cooking right away, fresh water is ok, but if you plan on storing them for a while (i.e. for breakfast the next day), use salt water for the rinse.
Step 3: Cook the Shrimp
Preheat cast iron skillet for a few minutes on camp stove over medium heat.
Mix the shrimp and chimichurri cooking sauce together then add to the preheated cast iron skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes uncovered, stirring regularly. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for 5-10 more minutes uncovered. The shrimp should be just cooked through otherwise, overcooking causes it to get a bit chewy.
Serve on plates or eat as finger food right from skillet utilizing the optional sriracha aioli dipping sauce if desired and enjoy with your beverage of choice.