Island Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers with a Rum Butter Sauce

My favorite tropical place to visit on vacation is probably anywhere in the Caribbean.  I've visited various Caribbean islands quite a few times in my life, but something about the islands makes me want to come back over and over.  This meal definitely made me wish that I was sitting on a beach in the Caribbean eating these shrimp and pineapple skewers while watching the waves crash in and listening to a calypso band.  Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to go on a tropical vacation in 2010, but eating this meal by the lake (of the Ozarks) while sipping on a pina colada wasn't half bad.

My mom made this great meal for us (my dad did the grilling part), and I was very impressed with how it turned out.  I loved the combination of the shrimp, prosciutto, pineapple, and rum butter sauce.  It was a little time consuming to make, but I will definitely be making this recipe sometime this summer on a weekend night so that we can enjoy it out on our patio with a tropical drink and pretend we're in the Caribbean.

This is an Emeril recipe.  We served the skewers over some coconut rice (that went perfectly with the skewers), and we had fruit salad on the side.  What a great summer meal!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot, plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
16 large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined (we grilled up a few extra shrimp)
1/3 pound sliced prosciutto
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup dark rum (we used Meyer's)
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
 
Directions:
 
Preheat a grill to medium heat.
 
In a bowl, combine the lime juice, oil, 2 teaspoons of the ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and pineapple chunks, toss to combine, and let marinate while the grill heats, about 15 minutes. Remove from the marinade.

Wrap the shrimp with the prosciutto. Alternately, thread the pineapple chunks and the wrapped shrimp onto metal or bamboo skewers. Grill until the shrimp are cooked through and the pineapple chunks are marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill. (Alternately, the skewers can be cooked under the broiler, turning as necessary to cook evenly and avoid burning.)

Make the sauce in a medium saucepan by combining the rum, shallots, and remaining 2 teaspoons of minced ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. With the heat on medium-low, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before the previous one has been completely incorporated. Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, removing the pan from the heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking. Season with the salt and cayenne, and stir. Remove from the heat and transfer to a decorative bowl.

To serve, transfer the wrapped shrimp and pineapple chunks from the skewers to a platter. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with the rum butter sauce (we actually served the skewers on top of some coconut rice and then sprinkled everything with the rum butter sauce and cilantro).