Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Kebabs

I’m back after my break for graduation festivities (more on that below!) and I’m bringing grilled shrimp and watermelon kebabs with me.  Because while the Southern husband and I are the best kind of exhausted, we aren’t quite ready to stop celebrating, and there are few things that are as casually festive as a good old kebab.  Especially a shrimp kebab.  Especially a shrimp kebab with the sweet deliciousness of watermelon.  And because of the happy exhaustion part, I needed something that needed minimal prep time and maximum flavor.  Hello, super fast, super delicious, super easy grilled shrimp and watermelon kebabs, which don’t even require a single pan. Win!

And okay, since you insist, here are a few pictures of where I’ve been the last few days.  This beautiful inside and out young woman just graduated from Clemson University.  Cum laude.  Yep. Her parents were just a little bit proud.

She and her best friend and roommate are going back and forth between delirious happiness and grappling with the fact that for the first time in 4 years, they aren’t going to be five feet away from each other.  Zapped me right back to my own college graduation, where I think that Aline and Cynthia and Kate all stood outside our parents’ station wagons in the parking lot of Georgetown University hugging each other for about a tearful hour.  Parting is such sweet sorrow!

In other news, it’s now a thing to decorate the top of your cap with whatever you are planning to do with the rest of your life.  Because my chickadee is going to be a third grade teacher, hers has a sparkly apple and Miss Jackson written in chalk.  THE ADORABLENESS!  It also helps you locate your baby in a sea of 1,000 caps and gowns.

Then you know what happens to the caps.  Some things never change.  I got goosebumps.

And then, there was The Party.  Friends, family, dogs, Mexican food, cake, a chocolate fountain, music…and champagne.  Showers of champagne.  Literally.

It will go down in our family history as one of the most joyous weekends ever, and there she goes, my baby girl, off to change the world.  I think that totally calls for some grilled shrimp and watermelon, don’t you?  So after we got home, I peeled a few shrimp, cut up some watermelon into cubes and slid them onto some metal skewers.  I brushed them with olive oil, shook on a little red pepper and sent the Southern husband out to grill them up.  They take about five to ten minutes tops to cook depending on how big your shrimpies are.  In the meantime I chopped up some scallions and peanuts and crumbled some feta cheese.

I cooked up some rice to lay our kebabs on, but they would also be totally fine as is if you want to skip the carbs.  I scattered the cheese, peanuts and scallions on top and drizzled a little olive oil over all of it.  A few lime wedges to squeeze on top and we were ready to dig in.

A quick, festive, cum laude dinner!  And now back to the real world.  What a weekend! Hug your babies tight, because tomorrow they will be throwing their graduation caps in the air…

Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Kebabs

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• Author: Kate Jackson
• Yield: 2

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Description

Grilled shrimp and watermelon kebabs are quick, easy and the perfect sweet and savory summertime supper!

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Ingredients

• 10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 10 one inch square (or thereabouts) cubes of watermelon
• Olive oil
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• Lime, cut into wedges
• Rice (optional)

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Instructions

1. Heat grill to high. Thread 5 shrimp and 5 watermelon cubes onto two metal skewers. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper.
2. Carefully lay the skewers on the grilled and cook for 3-5 minutes per side until the shrimp are opaque. You’ll want to turn the skewers with tongs because the metal will be hot hot hot.
3. When the shrimp are done, place on a platter (either on their own or on a bed of rice). Scatter cheese, scallions and nuts on the top.
4. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve with lime wedges.