Grilled Shrimp with a Spinach Yogurt Dipping Sauce

A refreshing and cool yogurt sauce pairs perfectly with seasoned shrimp hot off the grill. We do our best to eat together every night as a family.

It’s the time of day that we can all check-in with each other. There is always a good (sometimes heaping) dose of sibling rivalry and parent discipline, but there is also a fantastic mix of laughing, teaching, debating and encouraging.

But an emotional earthquake hit my family this summer following my mom’s passing and I recognized a shift in our attitudes. Dinner became more of a task that needed to be checked off a list. Our meals were more of a mad scramble to just eat and move on. Not all the time, but too often enough.

What I realized in the aftershocks of this earthquake is that our family dinners together are crucial in combating the shit shows that happen in life.

It’s not just about nourishing our bodies, but nourishing our minds and spirit too. It is our time to connect and it is necessary.

I’m thankful that we found our feel good dinnertime again and it all started with this grilled shrimp and that vibrant green yogurt sauce.

On this particular evening, I did the grilling and Bill pulled up a chair at our outdoor table. The volume was turned up on the music, it was a beautiful evening and I could sense a relaxed calm coming over us.

I decided to turn what was meant to be an individually plated shrimp dinner into a shared platter where the five of us could continue to sit back, relax and enjoy ourselves.

The yogurt sauce-turned-dip was a hit! It gets its vibrant color from crisp spinach (shhh-don’t tell the kids) and parsley and its freshness from garlic and lemon.

The warm seasoned shrimp was a perfect little handheld bite for dipping. A carefree dinner like this, as they say, was just what the doctor ordered. I can feel us settling into our norm again.

For more dishes featuring delicious shrimp, try my Baja-style Spicy Shrimp Tacos, Greek Shrimp Saganaki, or Vodka Sauce with Shrimp.

Do you have a feel good family dinner?

5 from 1 vote

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Grilled Shrimp with a Spinach Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

A refreshing and cool yogurt sauce pairs perfectly with seasoned shrimp hot off the grill. 

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Keyword: grilled shrimp, spinach yogurt dip, yogurt sauce

Author: Olive Jude

Ingredients

Yogurt Dipping Sauce

• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1 cup whole milk plain Greek Yogurt
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Shrimp

• 2 lbs colossal or jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper optional
• juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Yogurt Dipping Sauce

1. Place the spinach and parsley in a food processor. Pulse to give it a rough chop. 

2. Add the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until well mixed and smooth. 

3. While the food processor is running, slowly pour in the olive oil, allowing it to emulsify the sauce. Cover and refrigerator until ready to use. 

Shrimp

1. To a large zip lock bag, add all ingredients, including the shrimp and carefully toss bag in hand to mix and evenly coat. 

2. Set aside for 5 minutes for flavor to combine. To not let sit too long or the lemon will start to "cook" the shrimp. 

3. Preheat the grill to medium heat. 

4. Place the shrimp on skewers. 

5. Place on grill and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side or until the shrimp is no longer pink. 

6. Remove from the grill and transfer shrimp to a platter off the skewers. Serve immediately with the spinach yogurt dipping sauce. 

Recipe Notes

The dipping sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This makes a delicious main meal or a perfect appetizer dish while entertaining.