Shrimp & Squid Skewers: Gambas y Calamar Brochette

On the theme of "know your food". If you're going to eat it buy it with its eyes still intact (probably this rule does not apply to beef). In this case.. shrimp/s (prawns).
I'm not actually certain what the difference between shrimp & prawns is.


Rip off their heads, peel away their shells and strip out their intestinal tract (devein). Here shown with the accompanying chopped up squid rings.


Marinate and grill (in this case, under the grill in the oven 'cause I didn't feel like cranking up the bar-b-que).

Shrimp & Squid Skewers: Gamba y Calamar Brochettes

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 16 wooden skewers
• 1 kilo prawns (32 or so)
• 150 gr squid rings [8 oz] (better would be whole baby squids)

Marinade

• 1 T ginger powder (better would be an inch or two of fresh, grated)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 T soy sauce (better would be light soy)
• 2 T sherry (or sweet sherry but not cream sherry)
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1 T olive oil, virgin
  
• 2 t chili oil
• 1 chili (deseeded)
• 2 T corn flour

• 4 T sesame seeds
• 1 lemon

Procedure

1. Peel and devein prawns
2. Cut squid rings into prawn length pieces
3. Whisk marinade ingredients together
   
4. Marinate prawns and squid for 1, 2, 3, 4 hours (turn/stir once)
5. Soak wooden skewers in water for ½ hour
6. Add sesame seeds to the marinade & stir
7. Stab shrimp, squid, shrimp, squid, shrimp & squid onto each skewer
8. Lay all these out on an oiled grilling tray and drizzle marinade remains over
• Drizzle additional olive oil if you're short of marinade
9. Put them under the grill at about 8 cm [3"] for 8 minutes
• Too close and they'll burn
  
• Turn them, another 5 minutes grilling
• Times vary widely according to the power of the grill; you want to do these slowish
10. Wedge the lemon into 8 and serve on the side (for squeezing over the prawns)

Notes

• Serve on top of baby salad greens (the marinade and lemon becomes its dressing)
• Don't grill these too fast, they'll dry out
• Barbecuing is good too