Grilled Prawns with Sichuan Peppercorn Salt

shhhhhh…….

i did a naughty thing.

last week my husband tromped off to Vegas for a 5-day vacation with this poker buddies.

i had an affair.

i heard the garage door close as he left for the airport. i waited 15 minutes to make sure he didn’t return, in case he forgot something.

i peeked out the window…..

my eyes nervously scanned the street…..

then tiptoed to the back door….

with one hand on the knob and the other pressed against the warmth of the door, i paused briefly to collect my breath. i turned the knob slowly, my toe softly nudged the door open. It was still early, and the morning light reached through the crack of the door to help me open it the rest of the way.

he was waiting.

for a moment, i thought i had heard the garage door again. i turned my head. but no, it was just my jitters playing games. i stepped out towards him and felt my heart flutter with anticipation and longing. speaking was not necessary – we both already knew what was going to happen. nothing was going to get in the way of our union. my hands deftly removed his dark blue, canvas, weather protection jacket and threw it on the ground. i didn’t care where it landed.

how handsome he was. so massively big…..continued after the jump….

68,000 BTUs and a side burner, and he was all mine for 5 days…..

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Oh, don’t tell me that you guys were thinking it was going to be my lawn boy (cuz I don’t have one!) If you’ve been a regular reader, you’ll know that Husband doesn’t let me touch his outdoor grill. And I totally get that. Because I wouldn’t want him rummaging and rearranging my spice drawer, you know? It’s just a highly personal thing and that is fine. Our marriage work so wonderfully this way. But….he got to go to Vegas while I stayed home with both kids. Since this particular situation was not covered in our marriage contract, I took the liberty to amend the terms and wrote an addendum.

This guy helped me write it:

My first meal, Grilled Prawns with Sichuan Peppercorn Salt was so deliriously easy and quick that I didn’t even feel a tinge of guilt for using the grill. These were HUGE freshwater prawns that I found in the freezer section at the Asian market (Phuoc Loc Tho in Sarasota, FL).

A 2lb box of these beauties from Thailand for $16.00!! YEAH! I know! Each prawn was at least 7″ long head-to-tail, not counting the claws. HUGE! Now I know you might not be able to find the same, but feel free to substitute with smaller shrimp – just keep the shell on and skewer them for easy grilling.

I didn’t season the prawns, but simply left them naked to grill as I was going for simple, clean, elegant to pair with my Sichuan or Szechuan Peppercorn Salt.

If you haven’t tried Sichuan or Szechuan Peppercorn (SZP) (it’s spelled both ways) before, it’s really not a peppercorn at all, but rather a berry from an Asian bush. Put a couple of pods between your teeth and chew – you’ll get a numbing, tingly sensation all inside your mouth and lips. Contrary to what people think, SZP is not really spicy in your face hot. It has a citrusy, warming and woodsy aroma and flavor. You can find SZP at most Asian markets and some gourmet stores. If you are going to an Asian market where they don’t speak English, it’s best to print out a photo of the packaging in Chinese.

Click on thumbnail to get bigger photo.

I also have some online sources within Asian Flavored Salts post. Lightly toast the pods and your home will smell incredibly wonderfully exotic. Grind with sea salt and you’ve got yourself a very versatile Sichuan Peppercorn Salt.

After a quick grill, unpeel a shrimp and dip just a bit into the SZP Salt. mmmmmm……perfect.

Grilled Prawns with Sichuan Peppercorn Salt

I skewered each prawn lenthwise, which prevented them from curling up on the grill. If you are using smaller prawn/shrimp (really, both words mean the same thing. i just like calling big, expensive shrimp, “prawns” as it’s a fancier word that justifies its price) keep the shell intact and use 3-4 per skewer. Keep nice space between the prawns so that the flame can lick each prawn evenly.

To devein without piercing the shell, I used a toothpick and poked in right in the middle of the back between the shell segments and fished out the tract.

serves 4-6

2 lbs prawns/shrimp, shell on
skewers
Sichuan Peppercorn Salt

1. Preheat your grill to super-duper hot. I let the grill preheat for 15 minutes on high.

2. While grill is preheating, make your Sichuan Peppercorn Salt and skewer the prawns.

3. Grill 1-2 minutes per side, depending on the size of your prawns. Serve with the Sichuan Peppercorn Salt as a dipping salt.

whatcha lookin’ at Willis?

***

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