Father’s Day is the unofficial start of our grilling season. This Father’s Day we will fire up the grill and get the summer barbecue season going with a quick and easy dinner for Dad that is delicious.

The Tequila Shrimp recipe is very versatile. The skewers can be served hot, or on ice, at a party as a delicious finger food; as an appetizer for that special dinner at home; or served as an entrée with side dishes for dinner.

The wood skewers are available at grocery stores and sometimes at the dollar stores. Soak the wood skewers at least 30 minutes in water to prevent them from burning while you are cooking. Just take the skewers out of the water and drain on a paper towel for a couple of minutes and thread the shrimp, fruit, and veggies on while they are wet.

Jalapeño peppers can be very spicy if you leave in a large number of seeds. If you remove most or all of the seeds it will be a mild, peppery flavor. You really have to use gloves to remove the seeds because the seeds will burn your skin. No one told me to use gloves the first time I seeded jalapeño peppers and my hands were on fire. Cut off the top stem and discard it, and cut the pepper in half. Remove the amount of seeds you want and dice the remaining pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2  pounds  unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
1/4 cup Tequila
1/2 tsp sugar
1 fresh lime, juiced
2  garlic cloves, minced or 1/4-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1  jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
1  red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1  lime, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Preparation

Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact, and remove the vein
Stir together tequila and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp; cover and chill 30 minutes.

Alternately thread shrimp, bell pepper, and lime wedges on 8 (10- to 12-inch) skewers.

Grill with the lid closed, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Do not over cook the shrimp or the shrimp will be dry.

Serve with a green salad, garlic bread, baked potato, and corn on the cob. It is a feast for a king.

Enjoy!