grilled balsamic hot honey peach shrimp bowls
I bought ten fucking peaches today and I’m starting to think such a number was a teeny bit excessive.
Now, friends, this is summer. Grilled seafood, juicy peaches, spicy sauce, and rain showers that last 5 minutes before the clouds part and the sun burns a hole in your ass. I took one photo in this series under the temporary overcast conditions. Any guesses which one?
I get so hyped to visit Publix in July and August because the Booty Fruit are just divine. Dem trees got a donk. I’ve planned two dishes to test out this week and I guess the rest of the peaches will just end up as snacks, unless I get some other brilliant idea in the meantime. Which, I mean, is possible.
These delightful Grilled Balsamic Hot Honey Peach Shrimp Bowls features my current other obsession, hot honey, reduced with balsamic vinegar until a thick glaze to brush over the skewers both before and after grilling. The flavor is sensational and paired with a fresh avocado salsa that features in many of my past bowls. Yes, it’s a cop out component, and also yes, it’s delicious. It’s called easily translatable, people.
Sheesh.
Hot Bals
The sauce we use here is multipurpose: first, as a marinade for the raw shrimp, and second, reduced into a glaze we brush over the shrimp in multiple stages in order to really infuse those dudes.
If you don’t already have a batch of my hot honey at your disposal, take the five or so minutes to make it. I use honey, hot sauce, cayenne, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powders. Simmer over a saucepan until the granules dissolve. It will thicken back up as it cools off, FYI.
Combine some of the honey with balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, smoked paprika, and a bit of salt and pepper. Pat your thawed, peeled, and deveined shrimp VERY dry with paper towels. Wet shrimp will not obtain those lovely char marks we adore in a grilled dish, nor will the marinade hold.
Pour half of the balsamic blend over the shrimps, preferably in a bowl and not on a cutting board or your countertop. Throw the other half in a saucepan while the shrimp marinates, and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 5-8 minutes. A perfect texture for the glaze is “coats the back of a spoon” and keep in mind it will thicken more as it cools.
Threadbare
Slice up a big, fat, juicy peach into about 1 inch pieces. The method I like to follow is to halve the peach, then slice each half into thirds as best I can, then each of those pieces in half. I bet that made no sense. English graduate fail.
Grab your wooden or metal skewers and alternate threading your shrimp and peaches onto the sticks. I got 9 skewers but you may get a few more or less depending on the size of your wood. Heh. You can very easily double this recipe to get a more party-sized amount of shrimp and peaches!
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush both sides of each skewer with the glaze and, working a few at a time as needed depending on how much cooking space you have, grill 2 minutes per side. You can baste the shrimp again before flipping each skewer as you wish. The saucier the better!
As an accompaniment, I like to make my simple cucumber avocado salsa to serve on the side. Just mix up sliced Persian cukes, avo, basil, lime juice, tequila, salt, and pepper. The booze isn’t necessary but I love the little kick it lends.
Dish up your skewers over rice, or perhaps with potato salad, the salsa, and some extra glaze and basil as you wish. This meal preps wonderfully for the week, too – the salsa doesn’t keep incredibly well, so I like to eat up the batch the night of and make some steamed broccoli or roasted zucchini instead for my preps.
Enjoy! Keep this one bookmarked for Labor Day, and prior to that with all the summer grilling I bet you’re doing.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Shramp on the bahbie:
Grilled Honey Chipotle Lime Shrimp with Mango Avocado Salsa
Blackened Shrimp Skewers with Tequila Avocado Salsa
Pineapple Maple Chipotle Shrimp Skewers with Jalapeño Ranch
Grilled Hot Chile Shrimp Skewers with Avocado Ranch
grilled balsamic hot honey peach shrimp bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb jumbo shrimp (26-30/lb or similar), peeled and deveined
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup hot honey (see notes)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1-2 large peaches, sliced into 1 inch chunks
- steamed rice, for serving
cucumber avocado salsa
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
- 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp tequila (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl or jar, combine the balsamic vinegar, hot honey, dijon mustard, garlic, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels and add to a bowl. Pour over half of the balsamic marinade and let sit 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, dump the remaining balsamic sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-8 minutes. Set aside.
- Alternating between the shrimp and the peach chunks, thread the goodies onto skewers until all your components are used up. You will get between 8-10 skewers depending on how long said skewers are. I ended up with 9.
- Heat your grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush both sides of each skewer with the balsamic reduction and, working a few at a time, set the skewers onto the grates. Grill 2 minutes per side. Move to a clean plate and repeat with remaining skewers, as needed, brushing each with the glaze before cooking.
- To make the salsa, combine the avocado, cucumber, basil, lime juice, tequila (if using) and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Serve the skewers over hot rice with salsa and extra balsamic glaze.
