For a milder dish, use fewer Thai chiles and seed the serranos before mincing them.

　　Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a first course

　　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

　　

Step 1

Prepare grill for cooking.

　　

Step 2

Soak shrimp (still in shells) in salt water 5 minutes, then rinse well in a colander.

　　

Step 3

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.

　　

Step 4

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.

　　

Step 5

Discard tough outer leaves of lemongrass and trim root ends. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of stalks.

　　

Step 6

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.)

　　

Step 7

Toss shrimp (with shells still on) with chile mixture and stir in sliced lemongrass, shallots, scallions, and mint.

　　

Step 8

Serve on a bed of lettuce and tomato with cilantro or mint.