Grilled Southwest Shrimp on Santa Fe Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Orzo
Overview
Ingredients
Pesto
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1½ cups (from 16-oz. jar) Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes Julienne-Cut with Herbs and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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8 tbsp cup olive oil reserved from jar, divided
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½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
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¼ cup fresh lime juice
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4 cloves garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped
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½ tsp each salt & pepper
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¾ cup crumbled cotija cheese (can substitute plain feta)
Orzo
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1 cup orzo
Shrimp
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24 (about 1 pound) large fresh shrimp, peeled & deveined (or frozen & thawed)
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2 tsp dried oregano leaves (preferably Mexican oregano)
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2 tsp ground cumin
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1 tsp ground red pepper
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½ tsp each salt & pepper
Garnish
¼ cup additional crumbled cotija cheese
Directions
- In food processor combine Sun Dried Tomatoes, 6 tablespoons olive oil from jar and all pesto ingredients except cheese.
- Cover and process until smooth.
- Transfer to small bowl; stir in cotija cheese. Set aside. (Pesto can be made in advance. Bring to room temperature; stir before use).
- Cook orzo according to package directions (9 to 10 minutes), omitting salt. Drain well when done.
- While orzo is cooking, combine 2 tablespoons reserved olive oil from jar, shrimp, oregano, cumin, red pepper, salt and pepper in medium bowl; stirring gently to thoroughly cover shrimp.
- Preheat large ridged grill pan (2 if necessary) over medium-high heat.
- Place shrimp on pan. Grill until marked, 3 to 4 minutes; flip and grill until cooked through, 2 to 3 more minutes.
- Transfer cooked orzo to large bowl, adding prepared pesto; tossing gently to thoroughly combine. Divide onto 6 individual plates.
- Top with equally divided shrimp.
- Garnish with crumbled cotija cheese and serve immediately.
Serves 6.