I’m still not sure what prompted me to try pairing shrimp with chorizo. (It’s Mexican style chorizo, by the way, not Spanish.) I’m so glad I did, though, because it was delicious! There’s something about the heartiness of the sausage that’s a perfect complement to the lightness of the shrimp. Each holds the seasoning a little differently, and both just love the mint.

I do know what prompted me to make mint pesto – my mint is growing by leaps & bounds! I know I’ll miss it come winter, so I’d better enjoy it while I still can. Mint is a very aggressive plant. It will crowd out almost anything else. Not that it has much competition in that corner, because most things I’ve tried don’t do well there. This plant started as a single small sprig from a bunch I bought at Whole Foods when I needed some for a recipe. I sprouted it in my Aerogarden, then transplanted it out by the porch about a year ago – with absolutely no soil prep, no watering, no tending whatsoever. We’re down more than 4″ this year from our average rainfall. We even have trees wilting. Not that mint, though, it’s not showing a trace of stress.

You can certainly use the whole link of chorizo, or even use two. I only used ¾ of the one I had, because I stole the other ¼ to make Chorizo-Stuffed Jalapeños. You might want to try those, they were delicious!

Okay, then, on to the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound (454 g) uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined

~¾ link Mexican Chorizo (about 4 ounces, or 114 g)

2 small cloves garlic, divided

½ fresh jalapeño

2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided (about 1 lime)

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons lime zest, divided

1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup (~90 g) fresh mint leaves

⅛ teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1.) Place the chorizo in the freezer for about an hour while you prep the shrimp (it’ll be that much easier to slice).

2.) Mince the jalapeño. Set aside about ¼ of it, and place the rest in a medium bowl. Mince 1 clove of the garlic; add to the bowl. Add the brown sugar, 1 Tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lime zest, chipotle, coriander, & cumin; mix well. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Cover, and let marinate 30 – 60 minutes in the fridge.

3.) Place mint, salt, remaining garlic clove, reserved jalapeño, & remaining lime juice in a food processor. With processor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil. Process until uniform, occasionally scraping down the sides.

4.) Remove the chorizo from the freezer, and slice it about ¼” thick.

5.) Preheat your grill on medium-high. When the grill is hot, place an empty grill pan or basket on the grill to preheat, about 2-3 minutes before cooking. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the chorizo to the pan, then the shrimp; spoon some of the remaining marinade on the chorizo & discard the rest.

6.) Grill for 2 – 3 minutes, then turn the shrimp & chorizo. Continue grilling until just cooked through, about another 2 – 3 minutes. Serve with mint pesto.