Ingredients

• Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (see Note)
  2. 1 pound large shrimp—shelled, deveined and butterflied
  3. Salt
  4. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  5. 3 scallions—2 coarsely chopped, 1 thinly sliced
  6. 3 garlic cloves, minced
  7. 3 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
  8. 1 dried pasilla or small ancho chile, seeded and very thinly sliced
  9. 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  10. Chile-sesame oil, for drizzling

Directions

1. In a small skillet, toast the peppercorns over moderate heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds; let cool. Transfer the peppercorns to a mortar or spice grinder and grind to a powder. Put the shrimp in a bowl, toss with 1 teaspoon of the ground peppercorns and season with salt.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the shrimp and stir-fry over moderate heat until almost cooked through, 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the chopped scallions, garlic, jalapeños and chile and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the scallions and garlic are softened, 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of ground peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and lime juice and stir until the shrimp are just cooked through, 1 minute. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl. Garnish with the sliced scallion, drizzle with the chile oil and serve.

Notes

Fragrant, mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns from China are increasingly available at Asian markets and on Web sites like thespicehouse.com.