# Shrimp On The Barbie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900 "2005-07-30T16:33:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/1 "2005-07-30T16:33:51Z")
Despite the title, this isn’t about Australians or Australian cuisine. Still, hey there Down UnderDopers 😃 For the first time I went to BBQ some shrimp on the grill last night. It was an unqualified disaster. It had a nice Chinese marinade on it, and I used a proper fish griller holder thingy. It looked done and I tasted it. It was juicy and reeked of raw fish, so I spat out the weird tasting bit and kept cooking it. It was rubber. And… still faintly tasted fishy. Now, I do love my shrimp and fish, but this was weird. Any thoughts on how long to grill shrimp? Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/2 "2005-07-30T16:39:28Z")
Just like to point out that despite the stupid Paul Hogan ads we don’t bbq shrimp. We bbq prawns. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/3 "2005-07-30T16:42:20Z")
Yes, and we call prawns shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/4 "2005-07-30T16:50:55Z")
Direct at a fairly high temp (400F) for no more than 10 minutes. When they curl up they are done. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/5 "2005-07-30T16:51:43Z")
I’m guessing there wasn’t enough heat. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/6 "2005-07-30T16:59:19Z")
> [@Dr. Rieux](#): > > Yes, and we call prawns shrimp. Prawns and shrimp are different. Not sure if they’re different species but prawns are much bigger than shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/7 "2005-07-30T18:06:54Z")
The most obvious difference is that prawns have four pincers and shrimp have two. Still, outside of proper taxonomy, prawns are generally called “shrimp” in North America. If you want to make it clearer that you’ve _prawns_ on the menu, you say “jumbo shrimp.” Yes, it’s terribly embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/8 "2005-07-30T18:12:06Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Still, outside of proper taxonomy, prawns are generally called “shrimp” in North America. If you want to make it clearer that you’ve _prawns_ on the menu, you say “jumbo shrimp.” I generally don’t shop for shrimp/prawns. Not for any particular reason; just that I never think of it. However when I _have_ seen them at the market, prawns were called ‘prawns’. (I’m about 35 miles south of you, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/9 "2005-07-30T18:38:43Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#): > > Prawns and shrimp are different. Not sure if they’re different species but prawns are much bigger than shrimp. Doesn’t matter–some Merkins call them both shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/10 "2005-07-30T18:52:40Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Direct at a fairly high temp (400F) for no more than 10 minutes. When they curl up they are done. _Ten minutes???_ Those are gonna be some _really_ well-done shrimp. Okay, squeeze a lemon into a plastic ziploc bag. Pour in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of good extra-virgin olive oil, depending on how much you or your wife cares about your fat consumption. A teaspoon or two of Kosher salt, and a good teaspoon of fresh coarse-ground pepper. Put in a pound of cleaned, de-veined jumbo shrimp. Get your grill ready, good and HOT. The shrimp don’t need to marinate in the lemon/oil mix for more than an hour, tops. Thread the shrimp onto skewers, letting the pepper cling but the oil drip off. Grill over high heat until the shrimp is just opaque and slightly charred, 1-2 minutes on each side. Lightly salt after grilling. Serve with lemon wedges. This is the _Gamberi alla Romana_ recipe from Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman’s CUCINA RUSTICA (Morrow, 1990). It’s so simple and so delicious that you’ll never want to cook shrimp any other way again. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/11 "2005-07-30T18:54:57Z")
> [@Dr. Rieux](#): > > Doesn’t matter–some Merkins call them both shrimp. I’m not entirely sure what your point is: all I’m doing is correcting the misperception popularised by Paul Hogan’s ads. Besides, some Merkins are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/12 "2005-07-30T19:31:27Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I generally don’t shop for shrimp/prawns. Not for any particular reason; just that I never think of it. However when I _have_ seen them at the market, prawns were called ‘prawns’. (I’m about 35 miles south of you, BTW.) Just talkin’ generally about North America. I think L.A. (and to some degree, Vancouver) are a bit different, as large, coastal, urban centers. Sort of like how it’s easier to find espresso, and when you do, it’s _much_ rarer for the cafes to have signs advertising the availability of “expresso.” 😉 We’re all, like, sophisticated and stuff. ← Irony here, middle America. Unclench your fists. **Ike** , that sounds fantastic. Might dig out the hibachi tonight and give it a shot. What kind of wine would you recommend to go with that? (Never mind, I’m going with #1 Bass Ale, regardless. Heh.) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/13 "2005-07-30T20:01:51Z")
Prolly a well-chilled Soave. But I like a cold beer with it, myself. Too damn hot this time of year to even think about wine at dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/14 "2005-07-30T20:18:05Z")
Yay! Beer and bbq. I’ve got to get my ass out to the shops. Really, I’m just posting again to say that I’m not so geographically ignernt as to think that Los Angeles is thirty-five miles south of me. (If only.) I just missed that bit. I’ve even been down to Blaine, for the same reason all Canucks go down there-- to stock up on cheese and cheap smokes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/15 "2005-07-30T20:45:13Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > _Ten minutes???_ Those are gonna be some _really_ well-done shrimp. > Grill over high heat until the shrimp is just opaque and slightly charred, 1-2 minutes on each side. In my defence I did say for no more than 🙂 Thinking about it further, I probably do mine for closer to 2-3 minutes per side (vaires with size of the shrimp) I look at the curl more than time. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/16 "2005-07-31T01:19:26Z")
Um. I didn’t post the title or OP to offend the Aussies, ok? As mentioned, up here Prawns and Shrimp become a bit of a word-play, since depending on size, once you are buying them dead and beheaded ( and sometimes more cleaned out than just beheading ), the number of pincers is irrelevant and we simply go for what size we want. However, I defer to your understanding of your own cuisine. I’ve seen what we call Prawns. I bought a VW Rabbit from a Prawn once. His name was **Claus** ] Mighta been **Claws**. Really couldn’t say for sure. They’re large. VERY large. Shrimp? They’re…um…shrimpy. Hence the name. 😃 I couldn’t cook them till they curled- they were trapped in a fish griller and in order to turn them over to cook both sides ( stupid idea? Yes? No? ), the griller side was closed over the shrimpies firmly enough that they couldn’t curl more than they already were if they wanted to. 2-3 min? Oh god. No wonder they were atrociously rubbery. The fishy smell, it worries me. I love shrimp and haven’t had it smelling like that. My guess is that they sat in ice that was melting slowly down from other areas in the fish display that held fillets. Just my wild guess. Love the recipe, I shall attempt that next time out. **Uke**?? Too hot for wine? I’ve got four words for you, my friend. Chardonnay On The Rocks. :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/17 "2005-07-31T01:20:51Z")
p.s. I have indeed cooked the little beasties before. I go for color as much as curl. A nice orange/red turn tells me a lot. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/18 "2005-07-31T01:37:55Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#): > > Just like to point out that despite the stupid Paul Hogan ads we don’t bbq shrimp. We bbq prawns. In Australia: “Prawns. Australian for shrimp.” In the US: "Prawns: American English for large shrimp, some from saltwater, some from freshwater, some from both. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/19 "2005-07-31T03:59:17Z")
_sigh_. I wasn’t taking offense. I was pointing out that despite the “shrimp on the barbie” phrase being linked with Australia no Australian would bbq shrimp. It’s the same as Fosters being Australian for beer, even though we don’t actually drink or like it here. Just consider it edumacational, or at the very least something that might help at trivial pursuit someday. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900/20 "2005-07-31T04:15:17Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Chardonnay On The Rocks. AIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…!!! What was that mystery story about a detective who rousted out a guilty-of-murder connoisseur-in-disguise by pouring a fine wine over ice? Not that EVERY Chardonnay would be spoiled by icing, of course. Try this instead, though, on a hot day: a _manzanilla_ sherry, bone cold, in a chilled glass. Best thing in the world to accompany a cold _tapas_ supper. Which could include some a dem _Gamberi alla Romana_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrimp-on-the-barbie/314900.md?page=2)