Think about grilling shrimp? Shrimp and grilling have gone together for, well, I guess as long as folks have been fishing for them. If you go looking for a shrimp recipe, it often sounds like Bubba carrying on in the movie Forrest Gump.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different types of shrimp commercially available these days. Big ones, little ones, wild ones, farmed, pink ones, blue, tiger, cold water, warm water, spotted, and if you then throw in the various nationalities? So, we will give you some tips on grilling shrimp and making your grilled shrimp meals delicious every time.

What to look for when buying shrimp

When purchasing shrimp, keep in mind that virtually all shrimp, unless you live by the docks, is frozen. Some specialty shrimp does come in fresh occasionally, but what most of us see in stores is frozen. At times, it is better to buy the shrimp frozen and defrost them yourself. Things to watch out for with fresh, frozen or defrosted shrimp are:

• Black or brown spots: These shrimp have been around too long at some point. It can sometimes look like black lines; however, that does not apply to tiger shrimp/prawns

• Avoid shrimp that have pinkish tinge to the meat. If they are pink shrimp, smell them.

• Shrimp should smell like seawater, like fresh fish. Avoid iodine smells. Ammonia smell? Run away!

• If you are lucky and find "fresh" shrimp, they should have translucent meat and the shells should have some iridescent color to them. If they don’t, they are not fresh, so don’t pay extra for "fresh" shrimp that is not really fresh.

Type of shrimp to buy

The trawling process of shrimp harvesting can be very environmentally damaging, so we encourage people to try to use sustainable shrimp whenever possible.

Okay, now that we have discussed which shrimp are the best to buy environmentally, let’s apply that to the grill. For the grill, the little salad shrimp do not work. Rock shrimp are tasty, but are usually a bit small and soft in texture, lending themselves to a brochette or skewers. Spot prawns are also delicate, but have incredible flavor. Grill them with their shells on (leaving the head on is optional). So that leaves us with what most of us are accustomed to seeing: white or brown (sometimes green) shrimp. Keep in mind that we want to be buying from U.S., Canada, or Gulf of Mexico whenever possible.

Sizing of Shrimp

Shrimp come in different sizes. Generally, the larger the shrimp, the more expensive. For grilling, I always buy 21-25 count or higher. Usually 16-20 or larger are best , but occasionally you will see a deal that is too good to pass up. If grilling smaller shrimp, start thinking about brochettes or skewers, to keep them from falling through the grill. For an impressive dinner, buy the larger sizes (U-15, U-10 or even U-8). People love to see big shrimp, which can be almost like grilling small lobsters. However, you will pay the price for them. The other nice thing about the big shrimp is that you will not have to peel or clean as many, if I may be a bit of a selfish chef here.

Preparing your shrimp

One of the big debates is whether to cook your shrimp shell-on or shell-off. The two camps both have points in their favor.

Cooking shell-on shrimp may have a more distinctive shrimp flavor; the shell also helps keep the shrimp moist. The downside is that not everyone wants to peel shrimp, and sometimes the sauce is too messy. One time in Monterey, California, I ordered a shrimp pasta with a cream sauce. It arrived shell and head on, and the chef had not even split the shell. This was a fancy and expensive restaurant, and was not the best place to roll up your sleeves and wrestle with the prawns, not to mention the cream sauce. Can you picture that in a suit and tie?

Cooking shell-off lends itself to easier dining, with no little legs or shells to deal with. But you have to be a bit more conscious of cooking times.

Peeling the shrimp is pretty easy. On the forward side of the shrimp, you start at the legs and peel them off. The shell will follow. I like to leave the last segment of the shell on with the tail at the end.

Deveining the shrimp is mandatory in my book with all but the smallest of shrimp. The "vein" is the digestive track of the shrimp. This can be done shell on or shell off. However, it should always be done for grilled shrimp. After peeling the shrimp and carefully using a very sharp knife cut a little (1/8 inch) into the shrimp meat down the back, you will find a natural cavity. You can rinse the vein, using your finger to open and pull the black vein out.

There are types of shell-on shrimp that you can buy without the vein. Alternately, you can repeat the method described above for shell-off shrimp, simply cutting through the shell.

We have discussed the types of shrimp, how to select good shrimp, shell on or shell off, and deveining.

You are now ready to start grilling shrimp! (I told you I would sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump.)