Recipes
Grilled Shrimp with Chile Oil & Cilantro-Lime Aioli
This is a simple, yet stunning dish. We coat the shrimp with homemade chile oil, and then throw them on the grill for a few minutes. They come off the heat smoky and full of the oil’s aromatic spices — ginger, cinnamon, star anise, and coriander. A little salt, a few lime wedges, some cilantro, and they’re done.
We serve them with a very garlicky cilantro-lime aioli. Dip the shrimp, and all those pungent, savory flavors come together beautifully. It feels like a celebratory dish.
Our tip: Enjoy these shrimp with a crisp, dry sparkling wine, like Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore. Don’t be fooled, its fine bubbles and delicate fruits will stand up to your shrimp.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup cilantro, divided (¼ cup chopped, ¼ cup leaves with stems removed)
2 Tbsp lime juice, plus 1 lime, cut into wedges
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb tail-on shrimp, deveined (16-20 shrimp)
½ cup homemade chile oil, divided
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Pinch of flake salt
Special equipment: 8 to 10 skewers
Directions
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Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high. If the skewers are wooden, soak them in water so they don’t catch fire on the grill.
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To make the aioli: In a mortar, combine the garlic with a pinch of salt and mash it into a paste with a pestle.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, mayonnaise, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and set aside.
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To make the shrimp: In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of chile oil, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of black pepper.
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Thread 4 to 5 shrimp onto 2 skewers that are a ½-inch apart. (This will keep the shrimp in place and make them easy to turn.) Repeat with the remaining shrimp and skewers.
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Place the shrimp on the hot grill, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the shrimp, brush them with a little chile oil, and cook them for another 4 to 5 minutes.
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Once the shrimp are firm and pink, remove them from the grill. They should have some nice grill marks.
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Remove the shrimp from the skewers, put them on a serving dish, and drizzle them with remaining chile oil, a little flake salt, lime wedges, and cilantro leaves. Serve hot with the aioli for dipping.
Calculate nutrition information for this recipe.