This dish is inspired by the smoked shrimp of Malaysia, udang salai, which is similar to the smoked shrimp of southern Thailand, kung siap. The preparation involves cooking whole shrimp—complete with the heads, shells, and tails—low and slow over wood, coconut husks, or wood charcoal. The shrimp traditionally used for this dish are not usually large, and after smoking they crisp up and shrink to the point where you can eat each one whole—head, shell, and tail—in a single bite.

　　I use a smoker and a sweet, mild wood like cherry or apple for these jumbo shrimp. The shrimp I choose are quite large, so I serve them as a full meal along with a spicy chile-lime dipping sauce. This is a peel-and-eat affair, which lends itself well to a cookout or an outdoor party. Make a large batch, spread out the smoked shrimp, seafood boil style, on a paper-lined picnic table, set a bowl of sauce in the middle, and go to town.

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Ingredients

Serves 8

　　8 pounds jumbo (21 to 25 per pound) or extra-jumbo (16 to 20 per pound) shrimp, left whole

　　1 Tbsp. salt

　　1 Tsbp. ground white or black pepper

　　

For the dipping sauce

15 green bird’s eye chiles, or 8 jalapeño or serrano peppers, sliced

　　15 cloves garlic

　　1 cup fresh lime juice

　　1 tsp. salt

　　1 tsp. granulated sugar

　　¼ cup fish sauce

　　¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and stems

　　

Step 1

In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with the salt and pepper, coating them evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, start the sauce: In a blender, combine the chiles, garlic, lime juice, and salt and blend until the bits are the size of a match head. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and keep at room temperature.

　　

Step 3

Heat a smoker to 225°F. Rinse the seasoning off the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp in the smoker and smoke until they turn dark coral, 20 to 25 minutes.

　　

Step 4

While the shrimp are smoking, stir the sugar and fish sauce into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce if needed. Aim for sour and hot first, then salty and just a tad bit of sweetness. Stir in the cilantro.

　　

Step 5

Serve the shrimp with the sauce.

　　Reprinted with permission from Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill by Leela Punyaratabandhu. Copyright© 2020 shesimmers.com. Photographs copyright ©2020 by David Loftus. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Penguin Random House or Amazon.