grilling seafood recipes

Significantly boost your intake of selenium (a known cancer-fighter), with some of these simple-to-prepare, wonderful-to-eat shellfish dishes.

Grilled shrimp: Quick, easy, delicious.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Tired of barbecuing burgers, salmon, and chicken? OK, even if you’re not (we’re not either), maybe it's about time to mix things up a bit anyway. With summer winding down, now's the time to try your hand at grilling seafood. If you've never done it, don't worry. We've pick out some seafood recipes that are way less hassle to grill than you might think. And they taste so good you'll swear you were at one last beachside bash.

Grilling works really well with all sorts of seafood, from oysters, clams, and mussels to scallops, shrimp, and lobster. And these seafaring creatures aren’t just tasty. They also supply large amounts of selenium, which researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say may offer you significant protection against colorectal cancer. When the researchers tested subjects who had undergone colonoscopies, people with the highest blood levels of selenium had a 40 percent lower risk of colorectal adenomas. These are polyps that can turn into cancer.

Grilling seafood can help you reach the suggested daily intake of 55 milligrams (mg) of selenium in a hurry. Here’s how much of the mineral can be found in just three ounces of your favorite shelled seafood:

Oysters: 56 mg
Clams: 41 mg
Lobster: 36 mg
Shrimp: 35 mg
Scallops: 25 mg

Seafood-Grilling Basics

An important tip to keep in mind when grilling shellfish: Make sure you cook it over super-high heat, which will make it completely safe to eat. For smaller shellfish like shrimp and clams, it’s fine to keep the grill lid open. But for lobster, close the lid until it's time to flip or remove it. This way it’ll get plenty hot.

To grill lobster, start at the head, and slit the live lobster lengthwise along its underbelly, and collect the juices in a small container. (If you’re sqeamish about this, you can boil the lobster for 5 minutes prior to cutting, or just use lobster tails.) Season the meat with olive oil, and grill it cut side down for 2 to 3 minutes. Then turn it onto its shell, pour the juice over the meat, and grill until the meat turns opaque, which is usually about 5 more minutes.