Immediately following the signing of my new lease, I began furiously researching grills, and also reading the NYC building code with fervor. It turns out that propane is illegal in Manhattan (I had no idea) but charcoal grills are legal on terraces when they are 10 feet from the building. And so, as a housewarming gift my parents bought me a shiny new (custom color!) Weber Performer, and I dreamed of all the steaks, the burgers, the lamb chops I’d be cooking outside in the months to come. The catch: I’d never grilled before in my life.
Fast forward – about six weeks into grilling season and with the grill collecting literal dust, this past weekend we decided to “learn it.” I felt that shrimp would be a good place to start since they just take a few minutes to cook, and I’d be much less likely to ruin them. I bought a little grilling basket for seafood on Amazon, found a recipe that looked particularly delicious (spoiler alert: it was) and got to work putting the rest of the meal together. As I neared the crucial grilling part of the recipe, I casually asked my roommate to watch some YouTube videos on how to use the chimney to get the coals hot.
The next scene of this story involves the two of us in our aprons and oven mitts watching smoke billowing from our chimney as the wind on our 4th floor terrace picked up speed. I wasn’t necessarily nervous that we’d burn the place down but was convinced that the fire department would show up, a fear that only increased once I heard the sound of sirens on the next street over. It was just so much more smoke than I expected, and then so many more sparks from the coals than I expected, but in the end we had a 400 degree grill going and a strong collection of selfies next to grilled seafood.
I’m pleased to report that we not only survived our first attempt at operating a charcoal grill with nary an injury, but we made the most outstanding dinner in the process. The shrimp, flavored only with salt and pepper, was perfectly smoky and filled with flavor. I served it on a fantastic potato salad made with local fingerling potatoes that I picked up at the farmers’ market a few blocks from my apartment (along with some beautiful flowers!). The whole thing was smoky, lemony, fresh – and just the thing I plan to serve to my next group of terrace guests!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. fingerling potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- 1 1/4 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- 1/2 cup chopped chives
- 3 oz. baby arugula (4 cups loosely packed)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon peel
Instructions
- Heat a large cast-iron grill pan. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, turning, until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a work surface and let cool slightly, then coarsely chop and transfer to a large bowl.
- In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup of olive oil with the dill and chives and season with salt and pepper.
- Add 1/3 cup of the herb oil to the potatoes along with the arugula, preserved lemon peel and the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spoon the potato salad onto plates and top with the shrimp. Serve the remaining herb oil on the side.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2016/07/21/grilled-shrimp-with-potato-salad/
