BEIJOS EATS | August 22, 2023
farewell summer.
It’s that time of the year, sadly. It time to say farewell to our friend, summer. We had a blast, but it’s time to start get our fall on. Well calendar wise, I mean I’m sure the summer weather isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But I see you Fall. Bring on all the fall soups, warm cocktails, and all those cozy meals. But until then, we are enjoying the last long nights with summer cocktails, light meals, and all the fruit we can get our hands on.
Seafood dishes are such a fun summer treat. Yes, you can pretty much get it all year, but there is something about seafood in the summer. Hopefully by some water with a summer breeze, laughing it up with friends, sipping on some wine. That’s summer right there. We are ending our summer with this seafood platter. Fresh jumbo shrimp and calamari that are grilled up to perfection. A bright marinade, made up of garlic, chile flakes, and fresh herbs add bold flavor to this dish. Add in some dips, fresh citrus, and some crunchy bread for a delicious dish. Serve up as a main dish or as a happy hour treat.
*photography by Dayna Studios
Grilled Shrimp and Calamari
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cleaned calamari squid, tubes and tentacles separated but whole
- 2 pounds cleaned shrimp
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons red chile flakes
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice divided
- 2 teaspoon sea salt divided
- 1 loaf crusty bread such as ciabatta cut in half horizontally
- 2 lemons cut in half for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, calamari, garlic, chile flakes, parsley, ½ cup oil, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, and ½ tsp. salt. Chill, stirring often, 1 to 5 hours.
- Pour the shrimp, calamari, and marinade into a colander over a bowl. Brush marinade over cut sides of bread; grill on each side over high heat (450° to 550°) until grill marks appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Cut into slices.
- Grill the shrimp and calamari tubes, turning once, just until firm, 3 minutes. Meanwhile, using tongs, drop tentacles in clumps onto grill just to firm up, then spread out to cook evenly, 4 minutes total. Slice up the calamari, and put it and the shrimp in a dish and drizzle with remaining oil, lemon juice, and salt.
- Add to a platter. Serve up with some aioli, more of the marinade mixture for dipping, and place lemon wedges around the seafood. A squeeze of lemon and garnish with fresh parsley and cilantro. Serve with the crusty bread.
