Grilled Shrimp with Italian Tomato Salsa

Say the word “salsa” and what immediately comes to mind is the Mexican version I grew up with. When my friend Hank told me about his favorite Italian salsa, one with fresh tomatoes, capers, and black olives, I couldn’t wait to try it. But what should it accompany? It’s perfect with fish, and would be good with chicken too. We decided to serve it with grilled shrimp. Fabulous!

Grilled Shrimp with Italian Tomato Salsa Recipe Prep time: 30 minutesCook time: 10 minutes If you are defrosting frozen shrimp for this recipe, place the frozen shrimp in a bowl with salted water and a few ice cubes. Let the shrimp defrost gently while you prepare the salsa. Add to shopping list INGREDIENTS Salsa 1 large shallot, minced 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 large garlic clove, minced Salt and black pepper 1 Tbsp small capers 1/2 cup (heaping) chopped black olives 2 pounds plum tomatoes 3 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup chopped parsley Shrimp 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 Tbsp olive oil Salt METHOD 1 Place the minced shallots in a small bowl and add the red wine vinegar. The vinegar will help take the bite out of the raw shallots. 2 Peel the tomatoes. The best way to do this is to score the tips slightly with a sharp knife, drop them into boiling water, let them boil for 1 minute, and then plunge them into a large bowl filled with ice water. Remove from the ice water and peel off the outer skin. Seed and dice the tomatoes and put in a large bowl. 3 Add the shallots, minced garlic, capers, black olives, and olive oil to the bowl with the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, gently mix the ingredients together and set aside. 4 If you haven't already done so, peel and devein the shrimp. Coat the shrimp with olive oil. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and put them on skewers. We recommend threading the shrimp on two skewers so that the shrimp are easier to flip on the grill. 5 Preheat your grill on high direct heat. Clean the grates. Grill the shrimp with the grill cover open for a few minutes on each side, just enough to cook them through. 6 When you are ready to serve, add the parsley to the salsa. Serve the salsa with the shrimp.