Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with a Tomato-Herb Vinaigrette

We  love shrimp and we eat it a lot.  We also eat bacon wrapped shrimp quite often as well.  To make it different, I make and use different sauces, depending on my mood and what I have on hand at the time.  This time I made it with a delicious,  fresh tomato-herb vinaigrette.   This gave the shrimp a little bit of a Spanish flair, since this vinaigrette is found all over Spain.  By adding a little Spanish paprika to the dressing, you are also adding a little of the Spanish terroir, or personality of the land, to the dish as well.  You can use whatever type of tomato you like.  Whatever type of tomato you use will give the vinaigrette a slightly different personality each time, which makes it kind of fun and different.  This particular time, I used Roma tomatoes, but it would be also be delicious with heirloom tomatoes, or perhaps yellow sunshine tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, or any other tomato of your choice.  Use your imagination and play around a little.  Have fun experimenting with different kinds of tomatoes and trying the different flavors of each one.    This vinaigrette is just as good on shrimp as it is on salad and/or chicken too.

I served my bacon wrapped shrimp over wild rice, then added some green beans with toasted almonds and served it all with a cool, crisp chardonnay that had hints of apples and melon, for a perfect end of summer meal.

I just put all my ingredients into the food processor and blended everything together until it was a slightly chunky-liquid mixture.  I made my dressing first, because I also marinated my shrimp in it before wrapping them in the bacon and skewering them up.  I only marinated them for about 15 minutes.  The acidity from the tomatoes and the vinegar will “cook” the shrimp, like a ceviche, if left in too long.  If they “cook” from the acidity, then cook again on the grill, they shrimp will become tough and rubbery and over cooked.

Par-cook the bacon on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes in the oven at 350* F before wrapping the shrimp.  You want it to be soft and pliable.  Also bacon takes longer to cook than shrimp and you definitely do not want to eat it raw.  By par-cooking it first, then wrapping the shrimp, it will cook up just right on the grill without over cooking the shrimp.

Once I had all the shrimp wrapped and skewered, I poured the rest of the vinaigrette on top of the bacon, then let it chill in the refrigerator until I was ready to grill it.

Tomato-Herb Vinaigrette

3-4 medium sized tomatoes of your choice, cut into a medium dice (or about 1 lb, depending on what kind of tomatoes you are using)

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP Spanish paprika

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

3-4 TBSP sherry vinegar

3-4 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 tsp each thyme, basil, oregano

Put everything together in the food processor and blend for about 1 minute, or until everything is liquified and well blended.   It will still be slightly chunky, and that’s perfect.  It just adds more character and texture to either your salad or to your marinade.