Asian Dinner: Marinated Shrimp Skewers over Watermelon Salad

This was another course in the meal. Bold shrimp skewers contrast nicely with a cool salad of fruit and vegetables. It's a great refreshing summer meal. I combined a couple of different recipes.

It begins by marinating raw shrimp in a marinade I adapted from the Bobby Flay cookbook "Boy Gets Grill."

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Vietnamese hot sauce

Soak wooden skewers in water for at least an hour.

Make a salad by combining:

• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 small watermelon, cubed
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, halved, cleaned, and sliced
• chiffonade of fresh mint leaves
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

Make a dressing that pulls it all together:

• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• dash or more kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together. You can make this a day ahead to save time.

Put 4-5 shrimp on each skewer and fire up the barbecue. Cook the shrimp until done and place skewers on top of the watermelon salad.