Recipe

Coconut-Lime Glaze
1-1/2 cups coconut milk*
3/4 cup cream of coconut**
3/4 cup lime juice (from 6-8 limes)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Shrimp
3 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
16 (5″) sugarcane skewers***
Salt and black pepper
3 limes, cut into wedges

* Coconut milk is a liquid made by simmering shredded coconut in an equal amount of water and then straining it. For best results, use the full-fat variety of coconut milk — the low-fat kind has a much milder flavour.

** This is a commercially produced canned condiment made of sweetened coconut cream. Coconut cream, which is thicker than coconut milk, is made by simmering four parts shredded coconut with one part water and then straining it. Cream of coconut is one of the main ingredients in piña coladas.

*** This hard, fibrous grass has an inedible skin that must be peeled off before the moist beige flesh can be chewed (though even the sweet, tough flesh is not swallowed). If you cannot find sugarcane, substitute small wooden or metal skewers, making sure to soak the wooden ones thoroughly before using. While you may be able to find sugarcane that is trimmed and ready to use as skewers, you may only find a whole piece of fresh sugarcane to work with. To convert the cane to skewers, first cut it crosswise into 9″-long pieces using a large, sharp chef’s knife. Then cut each piece lengthwise in half, and then in half again or in thirds to create 4 or 6 long, wedge-shaped pieces. Finally, use a paring knife to trim one end of each skewer into a sharp point.