Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp!!

Homegaters!

Patriotism is in the air this weekend! With 4th of July and the FIFA Women's World Cup Final happening, it's going to be USA! USA! all weekend long! I've got a bunch of people coming over throughout the weekend, so I wanted to keep things quick, simple and spicy! With lots of cooking happening, I didn't want to overwhelm myself and so I came up with a crowd-pleaser: Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp!

What I like about the Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp is that it's relatively light, yet bold in flavor. A quick marinade and then a quick grill will yield a delicious result. I love that the heat of the cayenne is countered by the sweetness of the pineapple. This can be prepared in one of several ways depending on what your home set-up is. You can use an indoor grill, a broiler, grill pan or an outdoor grill. Whatever works for you is fine because the final result will be something that you and your guests will really enjoy. This will make either a nice appetizer or entree. Either way will be a hit.

Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp       
(serves 6)

1 lb med shrimp, peeled & cleaned              
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored &
cut into 1" chunks
2-3 med red onion, quartered & sliced
into 1" wedges
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup pineapple rum (optional)
1 tbs hot sauce
3/4 cup olive oil
salt & white pepper to taste

Method:

1. Marinade: in a deep bowl add: pineapple juice, rum, hot sauce, olive oil salt and pepper. Mix well and add the shrimp, onion and pineapple chunks. Let sit in marinade for 30 minutes.

2. Remove from marinade and sprinkle with the cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and ground ginger. Toss until completely coated.

3. Place on skewers. Alternate between the pineapple, onion and shrimp.

4. Place skewers on whichever heat source you are using. Grill/broil until slightly charred. Shrimp cook quickly, so you don't want to walk to far away from this. Baste with your marinade. Start checking for doneness after about 7 minutes. Remove from grill/broiler and serve.

And there you have it. Hope you try it. You'll really enjoy this.

Remember to be careful this weekend.

Have a safe and Happy 4th! GO USA!!! And keep on Homegating!!

See you next week!