Every now and then the stars align, and dinner is wonderful. For those of you who know me, this was a "moaner" meal. JT said it would be on the list for his "last meal". Scott said it was the kind of meal that is so good you wiggle in your seat in delight as you eat! Logan ate his fill of everything and complimented each component. Why was it so special? Was it because I had met the shrimp boat in Port A to get fresh shrimp or because I had gone to Fiesta earlier in the week and bought fresh Queso Fresca for Chile rellenos or because I carefully picked through all the center cut bacon to find the leanest? I'm sure all those things contributed to it, but whatever the case I knew I had to blog this meal. The Green Rice was out of an old Fonda San Miguel cookbook, and I will blog it as well because all my boys loved it. The Chopped Salad was my own creation, and the use of the Jalapeño Ranch Dip (already on the blog) sparingly used as the dressing pushed it over the top. Scott even ate seconds of the salad, and that is very unusual for my favorite carnivore. Justin couldn't bear to waste it and actually ate out of the salad bowl at the end to finish it. I know I am sounding like I am bragging, but this was a memorable meal. Sometimes things just come together to create a dining experience that lingers in your mind for days -- especially if you are foodies, like the bunch I feed regularly.
Jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, 4-6 per person
Fresh jalapeños, bigger than your shrimp, a few more than the number of shrimp*
1/2" thick slices of cheese, slightly shorter than jalapeños **
Center cut bacon (HEB brand is thin and cooks faster), pick the leanest 1-1/2 to 2 slices per jalapeño
Make a cut lengthwise in the jalapeño down the middle slightly below the stem and above the tip. Wearing gloves, carefully use your finger or a thin knife to scrape out the seeds and the veins, because that is where all the heat is in a jalapeño. If it tears too much then use one of the extra jalapeños and try again. Rinsing them out inside will help get all the seeds out once you have loosened the seeds. Press the cheese into the back of the jalapeño. Gently add the shrimp on top of the cheese, being careful that all of the cheese is covered by shrimp so that it doesn't ooze out when cooking. Wrap the bacon around each jalapeño, being sure to cover all the open areas with the leanest part of the bacon, especially on each end. If there is a jalapeño that tore a little at the top use a toothpick to keep it closed. Cover with saran and refrigerate until ready to grill.
With the grill at about 400 degrees, brush the grate with oil and space the jalapeños at least 1" apart. Close the lid and let them cook until the bacon on the bottom looks done. Continue turning them until all sides appear done or even slightly charred. They will hold the heat inside so be careful of that first bite or two!
* I was concerned that the jalapeños might be too hot for Justin, so I used the small red, yellow and orange peppers that come in a bag for a few of them. They were tasty but Justin agreed that the jalapeño flavored ones were better, and by cleaning out the seeds and veins, they weren't too hot. Of course you never know from one jalapeño to the next how hot it will be, but the big ones at HEB generally aren't too hot.
**You can use a variety of cheeses here, just nothing too firm. Fresh Queso Fresca worked beautifully because that is what Mexican cooks generally use in their Chile rellenos. However, the packaged Queso Fresca we can get at HEB is the kind that crumbles and not the best to use. Monterrey Jack, Quesadilla, Oaxaca, or Chihuahua cheeses will also work and can be found easily. In fact I used Oaxaca in some of these jalapeños since I had some on hand.
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