GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD WITH LEMONGRASS AND CHILES

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Lemongrass and Chiles image

Yield Serves 4 as a first course

Number Of Ingredients 13

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1 lb jumbo (8 to 12 per lb) shrimp
2 teaspoons sea salt dissolved in 1 cup water
4 to 8 (1- to 2-inch) fresh red Thai chiles, minced
2 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles (preferably red), minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (preferably Thai naam pla)
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 to 3 teaspoons sugar
2 stalks fresh lemongrass
2 small shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (1/4 cup)
2 scallions (white parts and half of greens), thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces
Accompaniments: green-leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, and fresh cilantro or mint sprigs

Steps:

Prepare grill for cooking.
Soak shrimp (still in shells) in salt water 5 minutes, then rinse well in a colander.
Pound all chiles with garlic to a coarse paste with a mortar and pestle and stir in fish sauce and lime juice and sugar to taste. Transfer to a large bowl.
Snip shells of shrimp with scissors down center of back, from wide end to second-to-last tail section. Butterfly shrimp in their shells, making a deep incision along length of back where shells are cut, and devein.
Discard tough outer leaves of lemongrass and trim root ends. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of stalks.
Grill shrimp on their sides on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until shells are pink and slightly charred and shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. (Alternatively, grill shrimp in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderate heat.)
Toss shrimp (with shells still on) with chile mixture and stir in sliced lemongrass, shallots, scallions, and mint.
Serve on a bed of lettuce and tomato with cilantro or mint.