Mariano's La Hacienda Ranch serves these jumbo grilled shrimp on a Southwest salad with corn, black beans, cotija cheese and a jalapeño ranch dressing. The tangy marinade adds flavor and creates a caramelized finish to the shrimp.

EVANS CAGLAGE/Staff Photographer

Grilled margarita shrimp, atop a bed of fresh romaine, similar to Mariano's version.

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While you cannot duplicate the flavors from Mariano's wood-burning grill, you can get a great result using your outdoor grill.

To shave asiago cheese, use a vegetable peeler to peel away strips from the edges of the cheese.

The restaurant uses larger shrimp than what you can usually find in the grocery store. You can order them from a fish market (ask for U15), or Costco usually has large shrimp in the freezer case.

Soaking the wooden skewers for about 10 minutes makes it easier to remove the cooked shrimp.

For a variation, you could prepare the shrimp using the same method, chill for 2 hours and serve in a margarita glass with shredded lettuce and cocktail sauce.

Anne Greer McCann is a Dallas restaurant consultant. E-mail food@dallasnews.com.

If using frozen shrimp, thaw under cold running water before marinating. This takes about 10 minutes. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail intact, and marinate for 2 hours. (Remember to reserve 1 cup marinade.)

Meanwhile, soak the skewers in cold water. Thread 3 or 4 shrimp per skewer and season with salt and pepper.

To the reserved 1 cup marinade, stir in parsley or cilantro; set aside.

Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high setting. Lightly coat the shrimp with olive oil. Wrap the ends of wooden skewers with foil so they do not burn. Place shrimp in the middle portion of the grill and grill, covered, 2-3 minutes or until marked. Brush at least once with the reserved marinade. Turn the shrimp over and finish grilling, covered, for about 3-4 minutes. Check often so shrimp do not get too brown, and brush with the marinade. Cooking times can vary with the size of the shrimp and the heat of the grill, so be flexible.

Toss about 3/4 of the lettuce, all the tomatoes, corn and asiago cheese together. Combine lime juice with olive oil, and a pinch of sugar and salt. Toss with the greens and divide between 4 salad plates. Top each salad with grilled shrimp.

Makes 4 servings.

Marinade: In a glass container, combine 5 cloves minced garlic, 1/3 cup tequila, 1/3 cup triple sec, juice from 2 limes, 2 cups Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix and 1 cup light olive oil. Reserve 1 cup for brushing shrimp while it's cooking.