Camarónes con Pesto Peruano

Grilled Butterflied Shrimp with Yuzu Kosho–Ají Sauce

The Japanese sushi chefs I worked for in London taught me how to butterfly shrimp, a very simple technique with big results. Butterflying isn’t just about making the shrimp look really good. When the shrimp lay flat on the grill, they cook more evenly and quickly, and you don’t end up with a rubbery tail end and a raw shrimp belly.

If you find whole, giant shrimp with the heads still attached, they look incredible all lined up on a platter for a party. If you only have smaller shrimp, skip the butterflying and just skewer and grill the shrimp whole. I keep a little yuzu kosho pesto in my refrigerator at home that I use to grill this shrimp and mild vegetables like cauliflower (page 117). It also makes a good, quick weeknight supper with my kids.

• 2 pounds (20 to 24 extra-large) unpeeled shrimp with heads
• About ¼ cup Peruvian Pesto (page 117)
• 2 or 3 quartered limes, for serving

1 Prepare a regular or hibachi grill for direct, high-heat cooking and place a fish grate on the grill.

2 Butterfly the shrimp: Working one at a time, lay each shrimp flat on a work surface with the legs underneath the body. Pierce the middle of the shell with the tip of a sharp knife and slice through the top shell and flesh toward the head (leave the bottom shell intact), then slice all the way through the head so you can open the top half of the shrimp like a book (see photo 1). Move the knife back to the middle of the shrimp and repeat the slicing process, only this time slicing through the shell and flesh down toward the tail, but leave the tail intact (see photo 2). Devein the shrimp, and at the head end, slice horizontally across the meat to disconnect the shrimp flesh (it should still be attached at the tail; see photo 3). Peel back the flesh and brush the exposed shell lightly with the pesto (see photo 4). Lay the flesh back on top of the shell and brush the top side of the flesh lightly with the pesto (see photo 5).

3 When the grill is very hot, lay the shrimp, shell side down, on the hot grill (grill the shrimp in batches if necessary) and brush the exposed flesh one more time with the pesto (see photo 6). Grill until the flesh turns whitish-pink along the edges but a gray line of uncooked flesh still runs down the center, usually about 2 minutes, depending on the shrimp’s size. Flip the shrimp with tongs and grill for a count of five—I like to literally count out loud: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5.”

4 Transfer the shrimp to a serving plate and serve immediately, with the lime wedges alongside.