All about shrimp, today!

Ingredients

2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp 

20 (12-inch) skewers 

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 

6 garlic cloves, pressed 

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced 

1 tablespoon adobo sauce 

2 tablespoons rum 

2 tablespoons water 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon tamarind paste 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Smoky Sweet Sauce 

Preparation

Peel shrimp, leaving tails on; devein, if desired. Thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer. Set aside.

Cook brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan over low heat until melted. Add garlic and next 6 ingredients. Cook 5 minutes or until tamarind paste melts. Remove from heat.

Brush shrimp with olive oil. Grill, without grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) for 4 to 6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning once, and basting with tamarind glaze. Serve with Smoky Sweet Sauce.

Note: Tamarind is a tree-growing fruit. Its long pods contain a sweet-and-sour pulp from which a paste is made. Look for tamarind paste in the Mexican or Asian section of your grocery store.

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

1 lemon, juice and zest

3 kaffir lime leaves, sliced or 1 lime, zest

1 teaspoon chili sauce or to taste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1.Marinate the shrimp in the sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, kaffir lime leaves, chili sauce, fish sauce, garlic and sugar for 10 or more minutes.

2.Heat a pan over medium heat.

3.Add the shrimp along with the marinade and the coconut milk and simmer until the shrimp are cooked, about 2-3 minutes.

4.Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound frozen shrimp, thawed

4 ounces uncooked thin rice noodles

2 carrots, grated

5 green onions, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thin matchsticks

1 cup mung bean sprouts

Generous handfuls fresh Thai (or regular) basil, mint and cilantro leaves

1/3 cup peanuts, chopped

1 head green leaf lettuce

1 Thai chile pepper or jalapeño, finely chopped

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons shredded carrots

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 package spring roll wrappers

 

PREPARATION

1. Boil, steam, grill or broil the shrimp until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then peel, de-vein and halve the shrimp.

 

2. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat, add rice noodles and set aside to let soften for about 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

 

3. Set 2 tablespoons of the carrots aside. Arrange remaining carrots, green onions, cucumbers, sprouts, basil, mint and cilantro on a platter. Put shrimp, noodles and peanuts in bowls. Stack lettuce leaves on a plate. Set aside.

 

4. Put chile peppers, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, reserved 2 tablespoons carrots and garlic into a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to small bowls for dipping and set aside.

 

5. For lettuce wraps, pile some of each ingredient on a lettuce leaf. Roll or fold the leaf around the ingredients, forming a package. Serve with dipping sauce.

 

For spring rolls, dip a wrapper in hot water for about 10 seconds. Spread on a cutting board or plate and layer ingredients on bottom third of wrapper. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the ingredients. Fold in sides, then continue rolling up. Place seam side down on plate. Serve with dipping sauce.