Shrimp Spiedini with Pesto, New Potatoes & Chickpea Aioli
Submitted by dalexander
Grilled shrimp skewers drizzled with homemade basil pesto and a creamy chickpea-mint aioli, served alongside pesto-dressed new potatoes. A showpiece Italian summer plate for the grill.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minThis is the kind of plate that makes people put their phone down and just stare for a second before picking up a fork.
Shrimp get threaded onto skewers and grilled until charred and smoky. Pesto-tossed new potatoes sit in the center of the plate. And tying the whole thing together is a brilliant chickpea aioli made with mint, lemon, and garlic that’s creamy, earthy, and unlike anything you’ve had on a shrimp dish before.
Both sauces are made from scratch in a blender, and they come together fast. This is a plate built for long summer evenings and a cold glass of white wine.
Variations
- Lemon herb: Skip the pesto and toss the shrimp in lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs before grilling.
- White bean swap: Use cannellini beans instead of chickpeas in the aioli for a milder, silkier version.
Pro Tips
- Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling so they don’t catch fire.
- Leave the head and tail on the shrimp for a more dramatic presentation and extra flavor from the shells.
- Make the pesto thick. It needs to cling to the potatoes and shrimp, not run off onto the plate.
- Grill the spiedini just 3 minutes per side. Shrimp on skewers go from done to overdone in a blink.
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the potatoes with skins on until tender, drain and cool.
Peel shrimp, leaving head and tail piece on.
Thread 7 each onto bamboo skewers.
Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.
Preheat barbecue.
Cut new potatoes into quarters and place in mixing bowl.
Place pine nuts, basil leaves, garlic, Parmesan, Pecorino and ½ cup olive oil in blender and grind until very fine (about 45 seconds).
Add remaining oil in drizzle to form smooth yet very thick sauce and set aside.
In another processor, place ceci, mint, lemon juice, egg, garlic and half cup of olive oil and blend until smooth, or 1 minute.
Slowly drizzle in remaining oil to create a creamy sauce.
Dress the potatoes with half the pesto and place in center of one of 4 plates.
Grill spiedini for 3 minutes per side and place one on each plate.
Cover shrimp with remaining pesto and drizzle with aioli.
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