Garlic Buttered Shrimp

Grilled shrimp basted in garlic butter with white wine, parsley, and a kick of red pepper flakes. The sauce comes together in a saucepan in about a minute, then does all its work on the grill as you brush it over the skewers.

The white wine in the butter sauce adds acidity that brightens the richness. It’s just enough to keep the garlic butter from tasting flat. Red pepper flakes bring a background warmth, not a burn, just enough to remind you it’s there.

Skewering the shrimp makes grilling easy and lets you flip a whole batch at once instead of chasing individual shrimp across the grate. Ten to twelve minutes over medium-hot coals and they’re pink, curled, and glazed with that garlicky, wine-spiked butter.

Kitchen Tips

• Don’t overcook. Shrimp go from tender to rubbery in seconds. Pull them when they’re just pink and slightly firm. They’ll carry over a bit on the hot skewers.
• Use metal skewers, not bamboo. The high heat of the grill can char wooden skewers and they require soaking. Metal conducts heat and cooks the shrimp from the inside too.
• Brush with the sauce frequently while grilling. Each coat adds another layer of garlic butter flavor and keeps the shrimp moist.
• Make the sauce ahead if you want. It reheats in seconds and tastes the same.

Variations

• Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the butter sauce for a scampi-style flavor.
• Thread cherry tomatoes and chunks of zucchini between the shrimp on the skewers for a complete meal.
• Toss the grilled shrimp off the skewers and serve over pasta with extra sauce for a grilled shrimp scampi.