Grilled Shrimp with Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp (8-10 per pound)
3 tsp. sea salt dissolved in 1-1/2 cups water

For Tamarind Sauce:

1 Tbsp. tamarind from a pliable block
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 Tbsp. chopped cleaned fresh cilantro roots and/or stems, pounded to a paste
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Sriracha or other Asian hot chile sauce
1-1/2 Tbsp. palm sugar, or to taste
1 Tbsp. Asian fish sauce (preferably Thai naam pla), or to taste

Garnish: 2 fresh serrano or jalapeno chiles, seeded, halved lengthwise, and finely julienned crosswise, and fresh cilantro sprigs

Instructions:

Prepare the grill for cooking. Soak the shrimp (still in shells) in salt water for 5 minutes, then rinse them well in a colander.

Make Sauce:

Place the tamarind in a bowl with water and rub with your fingers to dissolve the pulp. Pour the mixture through a sieve and into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids, then discard them. Heat the oil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook the cilantro paste and garlic, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in the hot sauce, 3 Tbsp. of tamarind juice, palm sugar and fish sauce. Simmer until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of light syrup, about 3 minutes.

Grill Shrimp:

Snip the shells of the shrimp with scissors down the centers of the back, from the wide end to the second-to-last tail section. Butterfly the shrimp in their shells, making a deep incision along the length of the back where the shells are cut, and devein. Grill the shrimp on their sides on an oiled rack set 5-6″ over some glowing coals until the shells are pink and slightly charred, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

(Alternative: grill the shrimp on a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderate heat.) Spoon the tamarind sauce over the shrimp (still in shells) on a serving dish.

NOTE: The tamarind sauce can be made 2 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.