Grilled Zesty Lime Shrimp Salad

This evening I wasn't sure what to make for dinner. I remembered that I had a big 5-pound bag of large 16/20 wild raw shrimp in the freezer, so I poured some of the frozen shrimp out into my colander and ran them under cold water for about 5 minutes to thaw them, then peeled and deveined them. I debated whether to make shrimp marinara or to marinate them and grill them to put on top of a bed of tender baby romaine salad mix. I opted for grilling them for a salad. I whisked together a quick and easy lime marinade and then tossed them around in the marinade and let them marinate for about 1 hour in the fridge. I used my Lodge Cast Iron Grill Pan to grill them on top of my Weber Gas Grill because I didn't want to lose any of the shrimp by having them fall through the grates. They only take a few minutes per side to grill, but as my luck would have it, it was bright and sunny when I started and as soon as I flipped them over to cook on the other side...the sky opened up, the thunder and lightning rolled in...and I scrambled to get them off the grill and inside...but I succeeded! Whew! It was a quick and easy meal to put together. I simply opened up a container of Sprouts organic baby romaine salad mix and placed it in big bowls, cut up a ripe tomato and topped the salad greens with the tomato and shrimp. I drizzled on a bit of vinaigrette and we enjoyed a healthy delicious main dish salad.

Grilled Zesty Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash onion powder
Dash garlic powder
Pinch of dried cilantro
Few drops liquid stevia (or favorite sweetener), optional
2 dozen large raw wild shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for shrimp in a medium bowl. Taste for seasoning (I added just a faint hint of sweetness to enhance the lime flavor with a bit of stevia but you can omit any sweetener). Add shrimp and stir until coated. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 1 hour, turning once. Heat grill to about 350 to 400 degrees. Spray a cast iron or oven safe grill pan or griddle with oil and place on grill until hot. Using a pair of tongs, place shrimp on grill pan; cover and cook approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and cook an additional 2 min. Serve on a bed of baby lettuces, if desired.