There's nothing like a trip around the world to get me looking into a cuisine. So when we were going to Australia I though I'm make a few well known dishes. Shrimp on the Barbie, or barbecue as we would say in North America, was at the top of my list. I made this fun take on an Aussie favourite using gluten free bread cubes. The grilled lemon and pancetta bring it all together for a yummy summer dish.
For a complete Aussie meal I would serve a nice garden salad with basic vinaigrette, any seasonal vegetable and end with gluten free lamingtons (my sister's favourite from when she lived there) or a summer version of pavlova. If you want to get fancy this is when you could use long stalks of fresh rosemary instead of metal or bamboo skewers.
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Ingredients
Gluten free cooks will often skip the bread in a recipe but it makes this simple dish a bit unique and very tasty.
- Large shrimp - 16-20 count (the number of shrimp per pound) is a good size for this dish.
- Pancetta - This is what makes the bread cubes so flavourful.
- Gluten free bread cubes - You need bread that will hold up to the barbecue. I used Udi’s Whole Grain seeded dinner rolls for this photo.
- Lemon - Grilling lemon adds a nice char flavour to this dish. Be sure to let them cool slightly as the juice will be very hot right off the barbie.
- Fresh rosemary - This is used to make a tasty rosemary oil for brushing the shrimp.
See recipe card for complete ingredient list and exact amounts.
How To Buy Shrimp
I almost always have a bag of shrimp in the freezer. There are so many ways to cook shrimp and it adds variety to your menu. Most often I like fairly big shrimp, 'go big or go home' I say. I used 16/20 count shrimp. The number 16/20 refers to how many shrimp there are per pound. The higher the number the smaller the shrimp.
Substitutions: Pancetta vs Prosciutto vs Bacon
Pancetta, like bacon, is made from the pork belly and salt-cured. Like bacon it is raw and must be cooked. Pancetta is sold in thin slices as I use in this recipe, or cut in cubes. Cooked like bacon it can be added to sauces, pasta dishes and more.
Bacon starts out like pancetta but is then smoked.
Prosciutto is made from a different cut of pork but it is also salt-cured and not smoked. Although my recipe calls for pancetta if you can't find it prosciutto would be a good substitute. The taste will be a bit different but equally delicious. Bacon would give the dish a very different taste.
Sliced, pre-packaged pancetta is readily available in well-stocked grocery stores and Italian specialty shops. Packages with a gluten free label are pretty easy to find and I always appreciate that.
Top Tip
Grill fresh lemons! This is a final touch worth doing. It adds a charred taste and the warm lemons yield more juice than you would have thought possible. Be very careful when squeezing the juice over the skewers, it's hot!
Gluten Free Shrimp on the Barbie
Ingredients
- 36 large shrimp (16-20 count)
- 36 thin slices of pancetta*
- 36 gluten free bread cubes (I used 3 Udi’s Whole Grain seeded dinner rolls)
- 3 lemons, halved
ROSEMARY OIL
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large cloves of garlic, smashed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the oil, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. Set aside.
PREPARE SKEWERS
- Fold a piece of pancetta in half and wrap around a shrimp. Slide 1 shrimp onto each skewer to hold pancetta in place. (see notes)
- Next thread a bread cube onto the skewer, with or without pancetta. (see notes)
- Repeat until you have 3 shrimp and 3 bread cubes on each skewer. This will make 2 skewers per person.
- Place assembled skewers on a tray with cut lemons.
- Preheat the barbecue.
- Generously brush the rosemary oil over both sides of the skewers and the cut side of each lemon half. Grill skewers until shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Grill lemons until charred. (see notes)
- Arrange skewers on a platter and top with lemon halves. Serve 2 skewers with one lemon half per person.
Steshni Corea
😍