Shrimp grilled out of the shell.

Grilled in the shell and used in a
Thai shrimp salad. The smokey
taste is another key flavor ingredient.

Grilled scallops.

Basic Shrimp & Prawns

You can grill shrimp either in the shell or out. The trick is not to grill them too long. Like a good steak or a fish fillet, you want high direct heat to brown the outside and leave the center moist and tender. Raise the coals to the top, add some smoke chips and immediately throw on the shrimp. They will brown on one side in just a few minutes. Flip and repeat. If you have large shrimp or prawns, move them to the indirect side, or to a plate to rest, covered, for a few minutes. If they are smaller, pull them off early and dish them up immediately. They will continue to cook after they come off the grill.

The photo above shows peeled shrimp that were simply stirred in a bowl with olive oil and a rub (we just use Old Bay when we're being lazy) so they were lightly coated with oil and spice. Coal basket high, we flipped them after one side was browned, put a sear on the other side, and just before serving squeezed half a lime. Incredible. It's hard to beat the pure sweet taste of shrimp and lime with a little smoke and char complimented with a rub that has a complimentary bite. If you like shrimp, try this. It's a revelation.

You can also grill shrimp in the shell. Use this method when the shrimp will be in a salad or sandwich and you don't really want the meat charred, just a little smoke and a quick sear. You will peel them after they come off the grill in order to tone down the smokey tastes and char affects. We make an absolutely perfect Thai shrimp salad this way. It is better than any restaurant version. The grill takes it to the highest level of perfection.

Grilled Scallops

I've been trying to figure out how to do scallops for two years, and never got them perfect. My theory is that the show-quality grilled scallops you get in a restaurant are done "sous vide" until they go under the broiler, which is something you and I cannot do at home. They also have the luxury of so-called "dry" scallops which are not treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP). Dry scallops are hard to come by for most of us Sam's Club gourmets.

I finally got a brainstorm after reading a cookbook by Julia Child. If you put them on the grill, the problem is that all the water comes out and really mucks up the grill and they dry out and you end up with some expensive little grilled rubber balls.

My solution is to put them on the grill frozen. Put a smear of butter on each scallop, salt and pepper and raise the fire up high. When they are lightly browned, let them rest just like a steak, off the direct heat. Temp the center like a steak (125). It works pretty darn well.