Once weather in the midwest hits fifty degrees and sunny, we all put on shorts and get out our grills. Any opportunity to get outside before the weather might turn cold again, we take it. When we start having sunshine I begin to dream about all of the meals on the grill we have not had in months. I crave something bright and fresh to awaken my spring palate. These lettuce wraps with a sriracha lime aioli were one of the first recipes to come to mind. It checks off all the boxes to please my family at dinner time.
The taste of the charred vegetables, the sweetness of the grilled corn, the spicy flavor of the shrimp, and the cool crunch of the lettuce all wrapped up into a neat handheld wrap.
It’s as if that if I can make this recipe enough times I can will summer to come a little faster!
SHRIMP LETTUCE WRAPS
Serves six
1 and 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red onion, sliced
3 corn cobs
2 jalapeños, halved
1 and 1/2 cup avocado, diced
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 limes, juiced, divided
4 radishes, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons cilantro, minced
2 heads bibb or boston lettuce leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons pepper, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons sriracha
Rinse thawed shrimp in colander, carefully insuring each shrimp is clean and appropriately deveined. Tails can stay on until after grilled. Once rinsed thoroughly, place shrimp in large mixing bowl. Mix shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 and 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, and juice of 2 limes. Refrigerate shrimp for 20-30 minutes.
In small bowl, mix greek yogurt, mayonnaise, sriracha, juice of 1 lime, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, and 1 teaspoon chili powder. You could add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin aioli to desired consistency to drizzle on finished lettuce wrap.
Place red onion, corn, and jalapeños on parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Place on one side of grill, flesh side down, leaving the other side of grill open for shrimp. Try to keep sections of red onion together to make for easy flipping. Check vegetables every 5 minutes, flipping vegetables and rotating corn as you begin to develop grill marks. I personally like the vegetables with some char marks.
About half way through vegetable grilling, place shrimp on open side of the grill. Once shrimp begin to turn pink, about 2-4 minutes, flip and finish cooking until shrimp is completely pink on both sides and tails start to curl.
Once removed from the grill, let shrimp and vegetables cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp tails by pulling off or cutting. Slice corn from the cobs and chop jalapeños and onion. Fold together corn, jalapeños, onion, tomatoes, radishes, and avocado.
Spoon vegetable mixture into lettuce leaves and place three or four shrimp on top. Drizzle with aioli.
- 1 and ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 corn cobs
- 2 jalapeños, halved
- 1 and ½ cup avocado, diced
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 3 limes, juiced, divided
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- 2 heads bibb or boston lettuce leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons chili powder, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons pepper, divided
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
- ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons sriracha
- Rinse thawed shrimp in colander, carefully insuring each shrimp is clean and appropriately deveined. Tails can stay on until after grilled. Once rinsed thoroughly, place shrimp in large mixing bowl. Mix shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 and ½ tablespoons cilantro, and juice of 2 limes. Refrigerate shrimp for 20-30 minutes.
- In small bowl, mix greek yogurt, mayonnaise, sriracha, juice of 1 lime, 1 and ½ tablespoons cilantro, and 1 teaspoon chili powder. You could add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin aioli to desired consistency to drizzle on finished lettuce wrap.
- Place red onion, corn, and jalapeños on parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Place on one side of grill, flesh side down, leaving the other side of grill open for shrimp. Try to keep sections of red onion together to make for easy flipping. Check vegetables every 5 minutes, flipping vegetables and rotating corn as you begin to develop grill marks. I personally like the vegetables with some char marks.
- About half way through vegetable grilling, place shrimp on open side of the grill. Once shrimp begin to turn pink, about 2-4 minutes, flip and finish cooking until shrimp is completely pink on both sides and tails start to curl.
- Once removed from the grill, let shrimp and vegetables cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp tails by pulling off or cutting. Slice corn from the cobs and chop jalapeños and onion. Fold together corn, jalapeños, onion, tomatoes, radishes, and avocado.
- Spoon vegetable mixture into lettuce leaves and place three or four shrimp on top. Drizzle with aioli.
Once weather in the midwest hits fifty degrees and sunny, we all put on shorts and get out our grills. Any opportunity to get outside before the weather might turn cold again, we take it. When we start having sunshine I begin to dream about all of the meals on the grill we have not had in months.
