Smoky & Spicy Indian Barbecue: Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Smoky & Spicy Indian Barbecue: Bobby Flay’s Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Bobby Flay’s Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

The main reason I started this blog was to make Indian cooking easy and accessible for folks who are interested but uncertain about how to make Indian food at home. I explain how I taught my husband Sean the basics of Indian cooking. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t meet someone who tells me they are intimidated by Indian cooking — in some cases, even after they’ve visited Big Apple Curry and told me I make it easy to follow! They still shy away from Indian cooking. So, my journey continues. A touch of curry powder or a sprig of fresh cilantro can be used in a range of recipes from burgers to salad dressings, Indian ingredients don’t have to be reserved for only authentically Indian dishes. Even some of the most famous celebrity chefs and Food Network stars don’t use Indian spices and herbs regularly — there are a few exceptions of course, like Jamie Oliver, Bobby Flay, Nigella Lawson, Robert Irvine, and Rachael Ray — these chefs don’t shy away from making Indian dishes part of their regular rotation, and are clearly comfortable with Indian ingredients. Sean and I are fans of Bobby Flay, especially his “Throwdown” show on the Food Network. Chef Flay seems like someone we would hang out with — cool, sharp, and easy-going. What I like about Flay is the way he embraces spices, herbs, and heat. This weekend I tried his Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney and loved it — apparently it was featured in the episode “Smoky & Spicy Indian Barbecue” on his show “Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction.” I didn’t even know he had a show like that, I think he must have at least 5 shows on the Food Network now.

Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

The perfect medley of Indian flavors: smoky, spicy grilled shrimp drizzled with fresh cilantro-mint chutney that is sweet and refreshing

The marinade combines ancho chile powder and garam masala — I love, love, love ancho chiles and only discovered them recently, so now I perk up anytime I see dishes that are Indian-Latin fusion. Ancho chiles are large, dark red Mexican chiles that have a smoky, mild taste and blend beautifully with the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black peppercorns, and bay leaf in a classic garam masala. The shrimp only need to marinate for 15 minutes, and hit the grill for 2-3 minutes at the most, and make for a firm-yet-tender bite of smoke and spice. The best part is the chutney, which is sweet and spicy, combining fresh cilantro, mint, and scallions with lime zest, honey, and other good stuff — I didn’t have a fresh Thai chilli, so I substituted with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne powder. The key is to drizzle the smoky, spicy shrimp with the sweet and spicy chutney for the perfect blend of Indian flavors. It will be hard not to pick the shrimp right off the grill, but trust me, make sure you make the chutney, it makes the dish. Today, I couldn’t wait to have lunch; I added the leftover grilled shrimp to a crisp green salad, along with tomatoes and bell peppers, and used the fresh chutney as the dressing.  What. A. Winner. I might have to make it again soon.

Bobby Flay’s Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Ingredients

Shrimp:

  • 2 tablespoons red chile powder, such as ancho or New Mexican red
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound large shrimp (21/24), shelled, deveined, tails left on and patted dry

Cilantro-Mint Chutney:

  • 1 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 1 Thai chile, finely minced
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment: 6-inch skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour (I didn’t have skewers so just put them on the grill, see photo below)

Preparation

For the shrimp:

  1. Whisk together the chile powder, garam masala, canola oil, lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Add the shrimp and toss to coat in the mixture. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
  3. Prepare a charcoal grill for direct grilling, high heat.

For the chutney:

  1. Combine the cilantro, mint, scallions, chile, 1 tablespoon each honey and canola oil, lime zest, and some salt and pepper in a food processor.
  2. Process to make a smooth paste. Taste; add honey, if desired, or more oil to make a sauce that will cling to the shrimp.
  3. Thread 2 skewers through 3 shrimp so that the shrimp lay flat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
  4. Remove the shrimp to a platter and serve with the cilantro-mint chutney.
Marinade for Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp

The marinade is simple and fast — ancho chile powder, garam masala, canola oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Defrosting shrimp for Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

I always keep a 2lb bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer; here the key is to pat the defrosted shrimp dry before adding it to the marinade to ensure it sticks to the shrimp

Marinating shrimp for Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

The shrimp only needs to marinate for about 15 minutes — anything longer than that is too long, because the fresh lemon juice in the marinade will break down the shrimp and “cook” it

Grilling shrimp for Bobby Flay's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Yes! It only needs a minute and half per side — I dare you to try not picking one right off the grill!