I am so psyched that grilling weather is back. Yes, I know, I went on all winter about braising this, and braising that. But enough already. I’m 
craving fire.
One thing in particular I love to do is skewer a few pieces of meat or vegetables on a stick and set it to sizzle on the grill. But I’m not talking about any old shish-kebab. I like to use lavender and rosemary branches to infuse meat and shellfish with flavor, or lemongrass and sugarcane for an Asian accent.
The skewers in the Grilled Shrimp on Rosemary Sticks below, for instance, are not only beautiful, they perfume the shrimp from the inside out. Here are a few other ways I like to play with sticks and fire:
* Skewer cubes of pork on lavender branches and baste them with a mixture of minced garlic, honey and plum jam while grilling.
* Skewer several tiny cubes of lamb (marinated in garlic, olive oil and a touch of lemon juice) several at a time on rosemary skewers and grill over direct heat. Great with tzatziki.
* Pulse together scallops, ginger, garlic, cilantro, a touch of fish sauce and a dab of chile sauce so it comes together into a coarse paste. Shape the paste around the base of lemongrass stalks and grill over medium heat. You can use these in fresh summer rolls or just enjoy them as is.
* Pulse together chicken, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder and a drizzle of peanut oil until it comes together into a coarse paste. Shape the paste around sugarcane stalks (you can find them canned at Asian markets) and grill over medium-high heat. Then dunk them in a peanut dipping sauce.
{ Grilled Shrimp on Rosemary Sticks }
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 cloves of garlic, 3 cloves minced, the others cut in half
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail left on
8 12-inch long, sturdy rosemary branches
Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and garlic cloves to bowl and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for one hour. Soak rosemary branches in water while shrimp marinates.
Heat a grill to medium high. Slide one shrimp onto a rosemary branch, followed by a clove of garlic, then another shrimp, another garlic, and another shrimp. Repeat with remaining skewers.
Place skewers on the grill and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, until shrimp is opaque all the way through. Serve on a platter.
Serves 4. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for larger parties.
Pair it with: I adore these with a crisp, floral rose.
11 Comments
“Enjoy” one Canadian winter and you go back to Cali relishing in the all-year ’round BBQ weather you guys have!
The aroma from the rosemary sprigs must have been heaven!
“..play with sticks and fire”, I like those words! The warm weather certainly screams out grilling!! BBQ!
Thanks for all the great grilling options here. I can smell the delicious aromas already!
I love grill weather and must admit that I never would have thought of using the skewers as additional flavoring devices. I really like this and will have to give it a try–sounds like some great options that you listed here
Never heard of using skewers as flavoring devices either. I must say that we still bbq - especially tri-tip, which is the men in my family’s fav, even when it is snowing. We bring the bbq onto the porch.
I will have to try these recipes.
steph
I just noticed the title to this little blog . . . . .
steph
I keep meaning to try using some of my rosemary stems, I never even considered my lavender!
It all sounds terrific. We’ve been firing up lately since the weather has turned hot in Northern California.
Really, there is nothing better than using rosemary sticks for grilling, and you are so lucky to live in a climate where rosemary grows well enough that you can cut sticks. I’d be so happy to have these lovely shrimp for dinner. YUM!
Wow, I LOVE the skewer idea, and had never thought of it before! I’m definitely trying your shrimp recipe - rosemary is one of my favorite herbs.
Besides using herb branches for skewers, I like to add a foil pan filled with herb stems to the grill underneath the grate. As the herbs smoulder, the smoke infuses the food wonderfully and you don’t have to spend time doing all that threading of meat and fish onto sticks.
Peter . . . If it makes you feel any better, it’s chilly and windy today ;-).
White on Rice & Mike . . . I’m curious to see where YOU guys run with these ideas!
Pam . . . You’ll be surprised how pungent lavender can be.
Noble Pig . . . So nice that it’s warmed up, isn’t it? Makes me want to grill my morning toast just to make the most out of it!
Laurie . . . Come on over!
Elisabeth . . . Let me know what you think!
Dana . . . I love doing that with wild fennel fronds. Especially for pork roasts on the rotisserie. I’ll just soak them, then toss them directly on the fire and let the fume away.