Barbecue Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

When I was growing up, my family took a few vacations to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Many of the restaurants we went to offered barbecue bacon wrapped shrimp on their menus. It became a popular entree for members of my family to order. When we returned to Minnesota, my mom would sometimes duplicate it at home for us. After I grew up, I started making it for my own family and it became a favorite for them as well.

When I was following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I couldn’t use bottled condiments and sauces because of the added sugars and additives, which motivated me to create a barbecue sauce I could use to make these delicious shrimp while adhering to my dietary restrictions. I still prefer this sauce over bottled sauce, but you can use any bbq sauce you like with this recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of 21/25 count raw peeled and deveined shrimp

16 strips of bacon

barbecue sauce

Ingredients for Barbecue Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

2 dates pitted and chopped

4 tsp chopped garlic

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, no added sugar

1 cup water

Directions for Barbecue Sauce:

In a saucepan over medium high heat, sauté the onions in olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
Add the garlic and dates and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the salt, cumin, chili powder, and pepper and mix well.
Add Dijon, honey, vinegar, tomatoes, and water.
Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours.
Blend in a blender until smooth.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cut strips of bacon into 3 pieces each.
Place the bacon pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 8 minutes.
If using bamboo skewers, soak in warm water for 20-30 minutes before using.
Wrap a piece of bacon around a shrimp and slide on a skewer.
Repeat with remaining shrimp and bacon to make 6 skewers.
Brush each skewer of shrimp with the barbecue sauce on both sides.
Grill over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp.
Serves 6 as an entree or 12-18 as an appetizer.

Emily Maxson

Hi everyone! Thank you for visiting Emily’s Fresh Kitchen. I am a trained chef and cookbook author and I love to eat, cook, and think about food. In 1998 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and had surgery to remove part of my intestines. Read More about “About”…