Life isn't fair. In a year when the lobster catch is huge and the clawed monsters are selling for $4.99 a pound, my family remains committed to shrimp, lots and lots of them. I've lived with the curse for years and in my dotage I've become convinced their love of the crustacean is directly proportional to its current market value. The more expensive it becomes, the more they love it. At any rate, short of finding a trove of really small lobsters, it's shrimp for dinner tonight. Scampi sounds awfully good to me right now. Don't get me wrong. The pan grilled shrimp I'm featuring today are great, but I've decided the recipe is impractical when you have a gang to feed. I made a test batch of the grilled shrimp before heading east, and I must say they are very, very nice and quite easy to do. The recipe, however, is not workable when you have ten or twelve people to feed. The cook would never get to leave the grill, so, a change of menu is definitely in order here. It will be scampi for dinner tonight. Shrimp with with lots of garlic butter and crusty bread and a salad so crisp it hurts the ears would really hit the spot. As to the featured recipe, it's great and should be shared. The recipe was developed by Bobby Flay and while it won't work in this vacation cottage, it would be perfect for a small backyard gathering. I hope some of you will try it. Here's the recipe.

Pan Grilled Barbecued Shrimp with Barbecue Spices

Ingredients:

1/4 cup smoked sweet paprika

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds (21-24 count) large shrimp, shell on

6 tablespoons canola oil, divided

12 cloves coarsely chopped fresh garlic, divided

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion

Directions:

1) Heat grill to high. In a large bowl, combine paprika, chile powder, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper. Add shrimp and toss until coated well.

2) In a large cast-iron skillet or stainless-steel saute pan placed on grill, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add one-third each of shrimp and garlic, Saute, turning once, until shrimp is opaque and just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in one-third of scallions and transfer to a large platter or turn out onto brown paper bags.

3) Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining oil, shrimp, garlic and scallion. Serve immediately.

4) To cook indoors: In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Saute shrimp and garlic in batches as above. Stir in scallions and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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