I’m going to share one of my secret-weapon, all-time favorite dishes with you (sssh). Why do I love this Grilled Basil Parmesan Shrimp recipe so much? Because it’s a quick and delicious meal to serve guests, it’s great at a BBQ or as a super-easy, throw together appetizer. The shrimp are amazing as a stand-alone dish, on a kabob with cherry tomatoes, or as a pasta topper.

A recurring theme with my favorite recipes is they’re often made from ingredients that I already have on-hand. Olive oil? Check. Garlic? Check. Red wine vinegar? Check. The only ingredient that I have found difficult to keep around is fresh basil. Even if I manage to buy some fresh leaves at the store, it never fails that I end up tossing the leftovers after a few days in the fridge. I’ve tried to keep a live basil plant in my kitchen, but I really am the Grim Reaper when it comes to house plants so that never seems to work out. On occasion, when I’ve been desperate, I used dried basil with decent results – it’s not quite as good, but it does work. Recently though, I discovered those little tubes of basil paste that last for at least 8 weeks, and was pleased to find that the stuff works very well in this recipe, so YAY!

Want to know one more thing I love about this recipe? All you need is an equal ratio of ingredients, so you can easily scale up or down (and you don’t really need to remember the measurements as long as you add about the same amount of everything)!

Simply add your marinade ingredients right into a large gallon Ziploc bag and mix it all up before tossing in the shrimp. Press most of the air out, seal up the bag and make sure the shrimp are good and coated before placing them in the fridge (the longer, the better – up to an hour) while you ready the rest of your meal and heat up the grill. Either thread the shrimp on skewers (if wooden, be sure to pre-soak) or place in a grill basket. Grill for about 2 minutes per side, turning occasionally, until pink. Before you know it, you’ll be feasting on the salty, zesty, basil-y goodness. This marinade works well with even with thawed frozen shrimp, so keep some on-hand for an easy, family-friendly week night meal or the perfect last-minute dinner for guests. You’ll get requests for these again and again, as I often do.

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