Shrimp go wild with jalapeños, garlic, cumin and cayenne
Jolts of grill flavor and spicy heat can enhance the delicately sweet and briny flavor of shrimp, but it’s easy to overdo it. Most recipes overcook the shrimp and finish them in a bath of mouth-numbing sauce; we wanted juicy shrimp with a smoky crust and chili flavor that was more than just superficial.
To achieve this, we sprinkled one side of the shrimp with sugar to promote browning and grilled this side for a few minutes. Then we flipped the skewers to finish gently cooking on the cooler side of the grill.
Grilled Jalapeño and Lime Shrimp Skewers
Servings 4
Start to finish: 2 hours (20 minutes active)
You will need four 14-inch metal skewers for this recipe. Ingredients
MARINADE:
1-2 jalapeño chills, stemmed, seeded and chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 5 tablespoons juice (3 limes) ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon salt
SHRIMP:
1½ pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined ½ teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
Directions
Process marinade ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 15 seconds. Reserve 2 tablespoons marinade; transfer remaining marinade to medium bowl.
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. To butterfly shrimp, use paring knife to make shallow cut down outside curve of shrimp. Add shrimp to bowl with marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Turn all burners on gas grill to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
Thread marinated shrimp onto four 14-inch metal skewers. (Alternate direction of each shrimp as you pack them tightly on skewer to allow about a dozen shrimp to fit snugly on each skewer.) Sprinkle 1 side of skewered shrimp with sugar. Place shrimp skewers sugared side down on hotter side of grill, covered and cook until lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn all burners off and cook, covered, until other side of shrimp is no longer translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, slide shrimp into clean medium bowl and toss with reserved marinade. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.