pineapple maple chipotle shrimp skewers with jalapeno ranch

Whispers of grillin’ time are starting to reach my ears.

Granted, here in Florida we don’t have those things called seasons, so you can discernibly fire up the ole gas or charcoal appliance whichever month and day you please (unless, of course, there’s a hurricane or some shit). But for those of ya’ll who actually experience The Weather, you may have needed to wait until around now to enjoy your patio.

Or your neighbors, if you’re grill-less. Or sneaky.

No big, floofy backstory to these shrimp skewers. I guess all the talk about outdoors time – and the glorious weather we’re having – inspired me to revisit the concept of shit threaded onto a bamboo pole. And I quite like these.

Meal prepping has been my cup of coffee lately. The day I whipped these babies up I also fried some cheese quesadillas, poured out some black beans, and flicked rice into the rice cooker so plentiful foods grace the fridge throughout the week. A well-prepared me = a happy me. Oh, and I have guacamole and salsa already waiting from some other spontaneous weekend cravings.

Spicy-sweet maple chipotle sauce, chunks of pineapple, and a hot-cool jalapeno cilantro ranch dressing for drizzling or dipping. A quick, healthy meal done in under 45 minutes, probably closer to 30, and if you’re still not quite at grillin’ season, perhaps your grill pan will squash those poolside dreams you’re having.

Lost in the Sauce

First order of business: the shrimp and it’s sauce.

For these skewers, I bought the 23-25 count (or similar), which are dubbed “jumbo” in my grocer’s shrimp language. I find this the perfect size to make just enough, but not too many and not too few, skewers.

Make sure the shrimps are thawed, peeled, and deveined (tail on or off are both acceptable), then throw them into a bowl and dry off well with paper towels.

This marinade originated in my Maple Chipotle Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowls, one of the most popular recipes from last year, I’d argue. Someone wrote in a review that the sauce was so good you could drink it (paraphrasing but that was the gist), and it only makes sense to revisit something clearly well-enjoyed.

For the sauce, mix up olive oil, maple syrup, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic, chopped fresh cilantro, and some salt and pepper. Pour half over the shrimp and toss to coat. The rest of the sauce will be used to baste the shrimp as they grill, and for an extra drizzly when serving.

You’re a Fineapple

Buy yourself a nice, fresh pineapple for the occasion. A medium-sized one will do. Doesn’t need to be the biggest fucker you’ve ever seen in your life.

As far as sizing the pineapple chunks, I tried to make them similar to the size of the shrimp I used. This just makes the grilling more even across the whole skewer, so no shrimp or pineapple gets left behind.

Let the shrimp sit in the maple sauce for about 10 minutes, then grab your skewers and get threading. You can do any pattern of shrimp-pineapple-shrimp that you please. Logistics don’t matter. You will get 10-12 skewers out of this depending on how small your sticks are.

That’s what she said?

Grillin’ for the Killin’

You can use a grill pan or a regular ole grill. The cooking directions are pretty much identical.

Heat your choice vessel to medium high. Let the grates get real hot for a good char. Grill the skewers 2-3 minutes per side, basting once or twice with the leftover maple sauce you have on hand. If you’re working in a grill pan, you will probably have to do all this in batches so to not overcrowd your pan.

Finish off by making your ranch. Very simple, basically the same as my usual ranch recipe but swapping out parsley for cilantro and adding chopped jalapeno. A nice little kick in an otherwise cooling condiment.

I like to serve my skewers with rice, maybe some black beans too if I’m especially hungry. A drizzle of chipotle sauce and a little bowl of ranch and I’m all set. These make awesome meal prep for the week, too. If you use metal skewers, just don’t reheat them in the microwave – remove the shrimp and pineapple first before zapping in the rectangular nuker.

Enjoy, friends. And I hope your week is off to a good start. No dead car batteries? Good. Let’s keep it that way.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

In the mood for more shrimps?

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Grilled Hot Chile Shrimp Skewers with Avocado Ranch

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