Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? For a great Mexican-inspired grilled shrimp recipe, we created a bold marinade of jalapeño, lime, garlic, and spices to flavor the shrimp both before and after cooking. Butterflying the shrimp allowed the marinade to flavor the shrimp deeply and thoroughly. To get good char on the shrimp without overcooking them, we packed them tightly onto skewers and sprinkled one side with sugar to encourage browning. We started the shrimp over a hot fire, then finished them over low heat to allow them to cook through gently. Finally, we tossed our cooked shrimp with more marinade, which packed a fresh, bright punch. You will need four 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe.

SERVES: 4

• 1 teaspoon lime zest plus 5 tablespoons juice (3 limes)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1½ pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and butterflied
• ½ teaspoon sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine lime zest and juice, oil, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set it aside for serving.
2. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, add them to the remaining marinade, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Thread the marinated shrimp tightly onto four 12-inch metal skewers, alternating the direction of heads and tails. Sprinkle one side of the shrimp skewers with sugar.
3. For a charcoal grill:Open the bottom vent completely. Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When the top coals are partially covered with ash, pour them evenly over half of the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover, and open the lid vent completely. Heat the grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
4. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave the primary burner on high and turn the other burner(s) to low.
5. Clean the cooking grate, then repeatedly brush the grate with well-oiled paper towels until it becomes black and glossy, around 5 to 10 times. Place the shrimp, sugar side down, on the hotter part of the grill and cook until lightly charred, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the skewers and slide them to the cooler part of the grill. Cover and continue to cook until the shrimp are uniformly pink, for about 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Using a potholder to hold the skewers, use tongs to slide the shrimp off the skewers into a medium bowl. Add the reserved marinade and toss to coat. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.

TIP:

MAKING SHRIMP SKEWERS

• Using paring knife, make ½-inch-deep cut down back of peeled shrimp, taking care not to cut in half completely.
• Thread marinated shrimp tightly onto four 12-inch metal skewers, alternating direction of heads and tails.