Australia GP 2019: Shrimp on the Barbie (Grilled Shrimp and Corn Rolls with Smashed Avocado)

What an exciting start to the 2019 F1 season! I love a good first turn upset and seeing someone other than Lewis win! The start to the season was definitely a tough one with the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting, who was adored by everyone in F1, just before the first race. But as Martin Brundle says, the world keeps turning and the race must go on.

All in all it was a great race, the cars looked crazy fast, and there was more than just strategy calls mixing up the field.

For the Australian Grand Prix this year we made Grilled Shrimp and Corn Rolls with Smashed Avocado spread. They were delicious! Served with a bright little salad and a few bottles of Cooper’s Beer, it was a lovely start to the new season. I couldn’t resist find a recipe for grilled shrimp, just so I could say we were having shrimp on the barbie!

Shrimp on the barbie is one of those things that Americans in particular think all Australians eat and say and indeed that it is a pastime of the ages. According to the internets it actually originated from an Australian Tourism ad campaign with Paul Hoge where he states “there’s plenty of shrimps on the barbie”, I’ve posted the video below for your viewing pleasure. I suppose the world just took it from there! Liam Hemsworth, on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert is particularly adamant that this is one of the most annoying things people say to him, perhaps even more than “thats not a knife!”, furthermore, they don’t even call them shrimp! So maybe we will make amends by doing a prawn boil next year and writing an apology letter to Liam Hemsworth and all of Australia for our terrible attempts at Australian accents and for insisting that we all eat more shrimp on the barbie!

Though perhaps I can change his mind by sending him this recipe, because these sandwiches were delicious! It sounded like an odd combination at first, but honestly all the elements work great together and these were super tasty. I highly recommend you heat up the barbie and throw some shrimp on :)

Grilled Shrimp and Corn Rolls with Smashed Avocado

Adapted from Gourmet Traveller  

2 corn cobs, husk and silk removed
olive oil
24 large uncooked shrimp, peeled and cleaned (approximately 1 pound)
3 limes, halved
2 large avocados, halved
½ small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small red chili, finely chopped
½ cup cilantro coarsely chopped
4 large white rolls  or 6 small white rolls
mayonnaise

Spiced salt
1 tsp coriander seeds,
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
zest of 1 lime
1 Tbsp sea salt

1. For spiced salt, dry-roast spices in a small sauté pan until fragrant about 1 minute, remove from heat and then grind with a mortar and pestle until finely ground. Combine in a small container with lime zest and sea salt, seal and shake to combine. Set aside

2. Preheat a grill to high. Drizzle corn with a little oil and grill, turning occasionally, until tender and slightly blackened (15-20 minutes). At the same time, grill the lime halves, cut-side down, until char marks appear and they become juicy (4-5 minutes). Remove both corn and limes from grill and set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, thread shrimp onto metal skewers or soaked bamboo skewers, drizzle with a little olive oil and juice of a grilled lime. Season with a few pinches of spiced salt and set aside for flavors to combine (10 minutes).

4. Scoop avocado into a bowl, add onion, garlic, chili and a little oil, season to taste with spiced salt and coarsely smash the avocado. Squeeze in juice of barbecued lime to taste, stir in cilantro and set aside.

5. Grill the shrimp, turning once, until they’re just cooked through (3-4 minutes). Meanwhile, cut corn kernels from cobs.
Once cooked, remove shrimp from skewers.

6. Spread rolls with a little mayo on the bottom, spread smashed avocado on the top and stuff with shrimp and some grilled corn. Serve with lime halves and extra spiced salt to taste.

As promised, the Australian Tourism Ad Campaign

And Liam Hemsworth telling us to cut it out.
(Minute 4:35, if you don’t want to hear about his water buffalo catching father and being stuffed in a dryer by his brother).