- ½ of a small (3½-ounce) package prepared achiote paste (such as Yucateco, La Anita or Marin brand)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (apple cider vinegar works well here)
- Salt
- 1¼ pounds large shrimp, peeled, leaving tail and final shell segment intact and deveined if you like
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small fresh habanero chile (or other fresh chile), stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
- A little olive or vegetable oil
- Roughly chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish
- Marinate the shrimp. Break the achiote paste into a blender jar and add the garlic, half of the lime juice, the orange juice, vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour over the shrimp, stirring to coat well, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Prepare the onions. In a small bowl, combine the onion, habanero (or as much of it as you think you’ll like), the remaining lime juice and 1 scant teaspoon salt. Cover and let stand until the shrimp is ready. (If working ahead, the onions may be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for several days.)
- Grill and serve the shrimp. Turn on a gas grill to medium-high or light a charcoal grill and let the coals burn until quite hot and covered with white ash.
- Thread the shrimp on skewers (if using bamboo skewers, it’s best to first soak them in water for a few minutes), leaving most of the marinade in the bowl. Scrape the leftover marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and stir until darker in color and thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in enough water to bring the sauce to the consistency of a light cream soup. Taste and season with more salt if you think necessary. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
- Spritz or brush the shrimp with oil, then lay on the hot fire and close the grill. After 2 or 3 minutes, when the shrimp are browned on one side, turn the skewers over and cook the other side: it usually takes a minute or so longer, depending on the exact heat of your fire, to cook the shrimp until just the slightest hint of translucency remains in the center of each piece.
- Lay the grilled shrimp skewers on a serving platter (or pull the shrimp from skewers before piling on the platter), drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley Serve with the spicy pickled onions.