Grilled shrimp with pesto is a perfect Summer dish and a great way to get some use out of your charcoal grill. Join Eric from Simply Elegant Home Cooking as he demonstrates his take on this classic dish. If you are in a hurry, you can use a store bought pesto for this dish which will speed up the cooking time, but Eric strongly recommends making a homemade pesto which is very simple.

There are several keys to this dish. The first is, be sure to get the grill nice and hot! Shrimp cook best over high heat which allows them to grill in only about 2-3 minutes per side. Grill the shrimp until they develop nice grill marks and carmelization but be sure to avoid over cooking!

When making the pesto, be sure to use the highest quality ingredients. You must use 24 month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese that is bought in a block and grated right before mixing together with the other ingredients. This will ensure maximum freshness and flavor.

While the grill preheats, toss the shrimp in about half the pesto. This will ensure an even coating of flavor and will allow the shrimp to marinade for about 20 minutes. This is the perfect time to skewer the pesto covered shrimp.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 pound large shrimp (16-20 count per pound)
3/4 lemon cut into wedges for serving

Pesto:
1 1/2 cup fresh basil, densely packed
1/3 cup Italian extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/4 lemon
3/4 lemon cut into wedges for serving