These disappear at parties, so consider doubling the recipe if you’re expecting more than 15 guests! Having grown up in Houston, both my mother and Mr. Trent’s are shrimp crazy, so I try to serve some form of the shellfish when we get together. I made these for the first time about a year and a half ago for Mr. Trent’s surprise birthday party, and they were gone in less than 5 minutes. I kid you not. These are best on the grill with that smokey-char flavor, but popping them under the broiler in the oven works well in a pinch (or an apartment!).

The How-To

Set oven to broil (high) or start your charcoal/gas grill. Peel and de-vein shrimp, leaving the tails on–they make a nice little handle. Pat shrimp dry. Cut bacon slices in half, seasoning one side with salt and fresh ground pepper. Wrap each half-slice around the body of one shrimp. For the oven, lay pieces on a roasting/cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, taking care to leave a little space between pieces. For the grill, skewer 4-5 shrimp at a time, and set aside.

In a small sauce pan, whisk together raspberry preserves, balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and peppers. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and stir for a few minutes until the glaze has cooled and thickened a bit. Reserve 1/3 of sauce for dipping later.

Keep an Eye on Them

However you choose to cook these, keep an eye on them. The bacon should protect the shrimp from overcooking, but depending on the size of your shrimp and the fattiness of the bacon, some may cook faster than others. If the bacon isn’t cooked through, then neither is the shrimp beneath it. If using the oven/broiler, place the pan of wrapped shrimp on the top rack of your oven, just under the broiler. If using a grill, place skewers directly over the hottest part of the grill.

Cook shrimp a few minutes per side, until the bacon stops looking raw. Brush glaze over one side, cook until glaze gets bubbly; flip, glaze the other side and cook until glaze is bubbly and bacon looks done. Your best bet is just to keep an eye on them and make sure the bacon is done. Serve with reserved glaze for dipping.