Shrimp on the Barbie, Gulf-style

When I went out to our garden yesterday, I noticed that one of our pineapples was ready to be picked, I was so excited. I ran in, retrieved a knife and proceeded to cut the super ripe fruit off the plant. There is nothing like the smell and taste of a fresh pineapple. Again, sure wish I had smell o-vision! To find out more about pineapples in the garden check out my May 6 post. It is very hard for me to cut into such a beautiful fruit, but I know the rewards will be worth it. I would not only have a bowl of super sweet fruit, but also another plant for our garden!
I cut the top off leaving a little of the fruit, sprinkled just a little of root starter, then popped it in a pot and put it out in my herb garden. I will keep it in its pot till new leaves appear, usually in about 2 or 3 months.


After I cleaned up my potting shelf, I realized I was craving something sweet, boy was I in luck! I ran into the house and cored and chunked my new treasure!

After I finished my juicy snack, I went to put the leftover pineapple in the refrigerator and noticed the large shrimp that I had picked up at the market yesterday next to a package of bacon and the little light went off in my head. For dinner, I would wrap a strip of bacon around the shrimp with a chunk of pineapple. I peeled the shrimp and marinated them for about one hour.

I drained the shrimp and placed the pineapple in the curve of the shrimp, wrapped them in bacon and then of course, sprinkled them with Old Bay Seasoning, then off to the grill. The hardest part of this meal was waiting till they were done!


The shrimp has so much flavor: the sweetness of the pineapple, hickory smoke of the bacon and just perfect seasoning of the Old Bay, that I feel you don't need to serve it with any sauces, but it would probably be yummy with a mango salsa!

BACON WRAPPED GRILL SHRIMP WITH PINEAPPLE
2 pounds Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh pineapple chunks, can you canned, if you must
thick sliced hickory smoked bacon
Old Bay Seasoning, to taste
Combine olive oil, parsley, lemon juice and garlic in a glass bowl. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to four hours. Remove shrimp from marinade, place one pineapple chunk in natural curve of shrimp, wrap with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle with Old Bay. Grill on preheated grill 5 minutes per side.