Grilled Shrimp With Tomato Olive Salsa

Grilled shrimp with an Italian tomato salsa of fresh, uncooked tomatoes, black olives, garlic and parsley.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Published August 16, 2013
Elise Bauer
Shrimp with Tomatoes and Olives
Elise Bauer

Say the word "salsa" and what immediately comes to mind is the Mexican version I grew up with.

When my friend Hank told me about his favorite Italian salsa, one with fresh tomatoes, capers, and black olives, I couldn't wait to try it!

But what should it accompany? It's perfect with fish, and would be good with chicken too.

We decided to serve it with grilled shrimp. Fabulous!

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Olives
Elise Bauer
Featured Video

Grilled Shrimp With Tomato Olive Salsa

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4 servings

If you are defrosting frozen shrimp for this recipe, place the frozen shrimp in a bowl with salted water and a few ice cubes. Let the shrimp defrost gently while you prepare the salsa.

Ingredients

  • Salsa
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon small capers
  • 1/2 cup (heaping) chopped black olives
  • 2 pounds plum tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • Shrimp
  • 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt

Method

  1. Soak the shallots in vinegar:

    Place the minced shallots in a small bowl and add the red wine vinegar. The vinegar will help take the bite out of the raw shallots.

  2. Blanch and peel the tomatoes:

    The best way to peel the tomatoes is to score the tips slightly with a sharp knife, drop them into boiling water, let them boil for 1 minute, and then plunge them into a large bowl filled with ice water.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer

    Remove the tomatoes from the ice water and peel off the outer skin. Seed and dice the tomatoes and put in a large bowl.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer
  3. Combine salsa ingredients:

    Add the shallots, minced garlic, capers, black olives, and olive oil to the bowl with the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, gently mix the ingredients together and set aside.

  4. Prepare the shrimp to grill:

    If you haven't already done so, peel and devein the shrimp. Coat the shrimp with olive oil. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and put them on skewers. We recommend threading the shrimp on two skewers so that the shrimp are easier to flip on the grill.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer
  5. Grill the shrimp:

    Preheat your grill on high direct heat. Clean the grates. Grill the shrimp with the grill cover open for a few minutes on each side, just enough to cook them through.

  6. Serve:

    When you are ready to serve, add the parsley to the salsa. Serve the salsa with the shrimp.

Links:

Chinese Style Grilled Shrimp, from Steamy Kitchen

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, from Smitten Kitchen

Spicy Grilled Shrimp, from The Kitchn

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Olives
Elise Bauer