This recipe from the July 2011 issue of Food and Wine is fast, easy and perfect for a warm evening when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen or over the grill. The capers and lemon add great tangy flavour to the oregano.  I only soaked the capers for a few minutes, instead of an hour, and they were fine.

Toss shrimp with oil, salt, pepper and oregano and place on skewers

This sauce would also be great spooned over grilled fish. If you use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes so they don’t disintegrate on the grill.

Grilled shrimp with oregano and lemon

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use capers without sodium benzoate, such as Unico brand, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Ingredients:

½ cup salted capers—rinsed, soaked for 1 hour and drained

½ cup oregano leaves

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

2 ½ pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt

Preparation:

On a cutting board, finely chop the drained capers with the oregano leaves and garlic. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, along with the lemon zest and lemon juice. Season the sauce with pepper.

Light a grill. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper (and some chopped oregano, if you wish). Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers and grill over high heat, turning once, until the shrimp are lightly charred and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skewers and transfer them to a platter.

Spoon the sauce on top and serve. Serves 8. The sauce can be refrigerated overnight.

From the July 2011 issue of Food and Wine