Orange-and-Thyme Grilled Shrimp

This shrimp dish, Orange-and-Thyme Grilled Shrimp is perfect! Coming from Martha Stewart, I should have known! That being said, I can't say I think the dipping sauce is perfect, but did I mention the shrimp is perfect?!! Ok, so you get my drift. The flavors are just right. Nothing overwhelms the shrimp, only enhances it. I allowed the shrimp to marinate about an hour and a half, but as the recipe suggests, you can begin the marinating process in the morning without losing the integrity of your entree.



I added red peppers to the skewers because I not only wanted to add a little color to the dish, but peppers cook quickly as do the shrimp. I happened upon a great sale at Costco for the shrimp, so I used a pound of tiger shrimp. Should you opt to use larger shrimp, remember that they will take a minute or two longer to grill. The recipe reminds us to put olive oil on the grill and that can easily be done by using a small pastry brush. A small amount of oil will be sufficient. Her tip to soak the wooden skewers in water for a half hour is very important. Don't get side-tracked and forget that step!



As for the dipping sauce, I am not especially fond of mayonnaise sauces. Now that I have made that confession, I can say in all honesty that my husband and I both felt the dip was very bland. After the initial taste test, I added a Tbs. of honey and chopped about 2 Tbs. of fresh orange into the dip. Although I felt it tasted better, the end result was that it was still mayonnaise. I think a better choice may have been an orange marmalade based dip.

Should you choose to use larger shrimp, you will need about 6 skewers, putting 2 shrimp on each one. If using shrimp that have about 24 per pound, you will also need 6 skewers, but will put 4 shrimp on each stick.

This recipe is an excellent choice anytime, but this will definitely be on my short list for the Fourth of July! Served with fresh corn on the cob and a slice of ice cold watermelon, you will have a meal worth celebrating!