Blackened Shrimp Skewers with Avocado-Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing

Fire up your grill, memorial day party-goers: these treasures will be the chocolate to your peanut butter; the bonnie to your clyde; or… the spicy shrimp bites to your coronas (yes, plural). Yup, we’ll stick to that third one. These are seriously a perfect appetizer – but we went wild and even had them for dinner. Now, I’m a heat lover and I have to forewarn you: these babies are spicy. I mean hot, hot, hot! So… if you don’t care for that much spice, I would simply recommend sprinkling on the spice rub on the shrimp rather than coating them. But these puppies are oh so good. I mean delicious. And the avocado-cilantro buttermilk dressing? Absolutely heavenly. It’s a perfect cool contrast to the spice of the shrimp (but they, too, have a jalapeno – so if you’re not a spice nut like myself, you can always omit it). This sauce is creamy, luscious and simply divine. And did I mention how EASY this recipe is? It’s a piece of cake. Well, it’s not actually a piece of cake – because it’s skewered shrimp – but you get my drift. Now, let’s fire up our grills, because these little treasures a perfect Memorial Day treat.

Blackened Shrimp Skewers:

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional – if you like it hot)
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Avocado-Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing:

• 1 large ripe avocado
• 3/4 cup buttermilk dressing
• 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped – seeds and membrane removed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons green onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• 1 roma tomato, chopped (removing seeds)

Alright – let’s begin by preheating our grill to about 350 degrees. Next, let’s start with the avocado-cilantro buttermilk dressing because the shrimp will be finished in a flash. In a blender, combine your avocado, buttermilk, jalapeno (if you want it spicy), lime juice, garlic, green onion, cumin, pepper, salt and cilantro.

Blend until perfectly smooth – it should be more creamy than liquidy. Then, pour the dressing into a bowl and add your chopped tomatoes.

Mix well and place in the fridge.

Next, let’s peel and devein our shrimp. Pat dry.

Then, in a small bowl combine the smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic salt, chipotle chili powder, cayenne powder (optional – if you like it hot) and pepper and mix well.

Once mixed, sprinkle (coating made the shrimp a bit too spicy – for most probably) the mixture on to the shrimp and skewer ’em right up.

Place on the grill for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, being careful not to over cook them. Then, take off the grill. Drizzle with your avocado-cilantro buttermilk dressing and enjoy!

These little treasures are just begging for a cold corona – so grab a beer, and dig on in – these are truly a treat.

Cheers!