Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto

Toss the cilantro, almonds, cheese, garlic, water, and salt into a food processor. Pulse until things become rather smooth. Start adding the olive oil, using a nice drizzle, and continue processing until things become really nice and smooth. Scrape the pesto into a small serving bowl. Taste, and season with additional salt, if you desire.

Next, take the shrimp and put them onto skewers. You can probably get 5-6 shrimp on each skewer. I like the 21-25 count size shrimp that are sold raw from the seafood section at your store. They are a good size, and hold up well for grilling.

Heat your grill to medium heat. Again, I am a fan of charcoal, but you do what you need to do. Gas or coal, your call.

Once your coals are heated, and the grates are super clean, add the shrimp skewers, over indirect heat if you can. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes or until pink on the first side, then flip. Brush on a nice amount of the cilantro pesto. Cover, or close the lid, and let them cook another couple of minutes. Do not over-cook the shrimp. Who likes over-cooked shrimp anyway?

Remove the skewers from the grill, and place the skewers onto a serving platter. I find that people tend to like removing items from a skewer, or going full force and eating directly off of the skewers (that would be me). Brush more of the fresh cilantro pesto onto the skewers. The heat from the cooked shrimp with pair nicely with the fresh pesto.

Dig in. There is a great freshness to this cilantro pesto. You get a bit of garlic, and a bit of saltiness from the cheese, and when paired with the grilled shrimp, well, it takes you over the top.