Grilling Season: Skewered Prawns with Paprika, Cumin, Garlic and Lemon

There are places that have four distinct seasons. Like my hometown in Russian. Like most of the places in this country, where there is no chance you would confuse spring with fall. In Seattle, however, we seem to have only two seasons: rain and no-rain. The latter is ruefully short and usually lasts from July to mid-September and the former takes up the rest 300 days.

During the no-rain period, which happens to be right now, we try to cook on a grill as much as we can. In fact, we try to do it all year round, but during the rainy season it’s not always possible since there are bigger chances to turn this dry method of cooking into a wet one. So when the no-rain season comes, we grill like there’s no tomorrow. Meats, seafood, vegetables, flatbreads, roadkill – we do it all.

Grilling is not as simple as throwing products on a heated rack and letting them get browned. Though grilling itself imparts lots of flavor, especially when using a charcoal grill, still there’s another important step that gives grilled food more flavor. It’s marinating.

As a rule, marinades consist of fat (oil), an acidic component and aromatics. Though some marinades can tenderize certain foods (like enzymes in kiwi and papaya tend to soften meats, sometimes even too much making them sort of mushy), the major purpose of marinades is to impart flavor. And since Ilya and I prefer strong, bright, bold flavors, I incorporate into my marinades a variety of spices and fresh and dry herbs.

Like with these skewered prawns, for which you will need:

• 1 lb prawns, very preferably wild, heads off, shell on
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or squeezed through a garlic press
• 2-2.5 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ heaping tsp cumin
• ¾ tsp sweet paprika
• A pinch of cayenne powder or other hot red chili
• A generous pinch of salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon of chopped parsley or cilantro or both (optional)

 With kitchen scissors, cut the shell along the back of each prawn open and pull out the “vein” (which is, in fact, an intestine).

In a large bowl stir the rest of the ingredients. Add the prawns and toss well so they get evenly coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably two.

Preheat the grill. Put the prawns on metal skewers. If using wooden skewers instead, presoak them for about half hour before cooking.

Put on a preheated grill and cook on both sides until nicely browned and cooked through. Prawns cook really fast, so keep a close eye on them while grilling to avoid overcooking.