PAN-ROASTED SHRIMP WITH MINT-CHILE BUTTER

Makes: 4 servings

MINT-CHILE BUTTER: 2 green onions, finely chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

½ medium jalapeno pepper, stemmed, halved lengthwise, seeded, finely chopped, 1½ to 2 teaspoons

½ teaspoon salt 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature SHRIMP: 3 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 count per pound), peeled leaving the last part of tail intact, deveined

3 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil, safflower oil or sunflower oil

Thick slices toasted sourdough or country-style bread

For the butter, mix onions, mint, garlic, jalapeno and salt in a small bowl. Add butter and mix well. Use at room temperature.

For the shrimp, mix cornstarch, salt, sugar and black pepper in a large bowl.

Pat shrimp very dry with toweling. Add to cornstarch mixture, and toss to coat.

Turn on the exhaust fan. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium-high heat until hot (when a drop of water sizzles on contact). Add half of the oil and half of the shrimp. Cook, continuously moving shrimp around in the pan with metal tongs, until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Immediately remove to a serving platter and dot the top with some of the mint-chile butter.

Repeat to cook remaining shrimp. Serve hot, sprinkled with more green onions. Pass napkins. Serve with toast to mop up the soft butter. (Refrigerate leftover butter up to a week or freeze for several weeks.)

PER SERVING: 388 calories, 15 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 459 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 57 g protein, 649 mg sodium, 0 g fiber