Cajun Shrimp Skewers

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Contributor: Keeth Smart.

This recipe is fitting for a guy like Keeth Smart—he is an American silver-medal-winning sabre fencer. (Get it? Skewers—sabres?) Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Keeth competed for the United States in the 1999 Pan American Games, where his team won a bronze. In 2002 and 2004, Keeth won the US National Sabre Championship and in 2003, he became the first American to be the top-ranked fencer worldwide. Keeth competed in three Summer Olympic Games, earning his silver in Beijing in 2008. It’s your choice how to cook the shrimp in Keeth’s recipe. You can grill them on a gas or charcoal barbecue, or you can broil them in your oven.

Cajun Shrimp Skewers.jpg

Makes 16

16 (6-inch) wooden skewers
3 bell peppers (yellow, red, and/or orange)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 pounds large shrimp, cleaned, deveined, and shells discarded

 

  1. Soak the wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes. (This helps prevent them from catching fire when you cook the shrimp.)
  2. While the skewers are soaking, deseed and cut the bell peppers into 1-inch squares.
  3. Combine the garlic and salt in a medium bowl. Stir well, and then add the lemon juice, olive oil, Cajun seasoning, and shrimp. Toss well to fully coat the shrimp.
  4. Preheat your grill to medium-high or your broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  5. Alternating between the shrimp and bell pepper squares, stack the skewers until they’re loaded up, roughly 3 to 4 shrimp and 5 to 6 peppers per skewer.
  6. Place the skewers on the prepared baking sheet, pouring the remaining sauce on top of them.
  7. Grill or broil the skewers for 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately (with a huge smile).

Recipe and Photography courtesy of “The Hungry Fan’s Game Day Cookbook.” Copyright © 2016 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.