Now is the time to dust off the barbecue, and get ready for the new season. And, to kick off the barbecue season, there is nothing tastier than shrimps in your favourite marinade and grilled to perfection. The best for barbecuing are the jumbo shrimps as they are easier to handle. Many recipes call for the deveining of the shrimp. This refers to the large vein or sand track that is located along the back of the shrimp and is visible in the larger shrimps. It is not always necessary to do this, but if it contains sand, it will be gritty. First, peel the shrimp if you want, but leave the tail shell on and, using a small, sharp knife make a shallow cut along the back of the shrimp and the vein can be pulled or washed out. This opening in the shrimp is the best place to add flavours. The shell prevents marinades and seasonings from penetrating the shrimp but the open cut will allow the flavours to sink in. The main thing about cooking shrimps is not to overcook them as they become very rubbery. An easy dish, but very tasty, is shrimps wrapped in bacon. First, cook the bacon a little, then wrap and grill. If you want more flavour here is a spicier recipe.

For four people you will need:

50g sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp of each: salt, pepper, curry powder, ground cumin and ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper or more if you like it hot
12 uncooked jumbo shrimps, peeled and deveined
6 pieces bacon

1. Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the shrimps, making sure they are well coated. Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for at least one hour.

2. Cook the bacon until just cooked but definitely not crisp and drain on paper towel. Cut the slices of bacon into two lengthways.

3. Take the shrimps out of the marinade, but keep the marinade for basting, and wrap each one with a piece of bacon and keep in place with a toothpick.

4. To cook these on the barbecue it is easier to put a griddle rack on the barbecue and lightly brush with a little oil. Cook the shrimps for 5 to 10 minutes and keep turning and basting with the marinade as you go until the shrimps have turned pink.

These are delicious as a starter for your barbecue but you can also cook them under the grill in your oven.

A much hotter version, and not one for the faint hearted, is to prepare the shrimps and put inside a chilli pepper, which has been slit open lengthwise and the seeds removed. Put a little butter which has been mixed with parsley and a little grated ginger onto the shrimp and try and enclose it in the chilli. These can be threaded onto a skewer with a cherry tomato in between. Cook on the barbecue until the chillies are soft and slightly charred and the shrimps are cooked. This can also be cooked under the grill in your oven.