15    Dried chiles de arbol (or
Cayenne chiles)
1 1/2 c  Olive oil -- for the
Marinade
1 ts Salt
2    Cloves garlic -- sliced
1 bn Cilantro -- sliced
2 tb Fresh lime juice
35 md Unpeeled shrimp -- heads
Removed
4 c  Watermelon, Cantalope, and
Honeydew Mix -- diced in
1/2    " pieces
3 tb Sugar
1/2 c  Mint leaves -- finely
Chopped
2 tb Fresh lime juice
1 tb Rice wine vinegar
3 c  Romaine lettuce (rib
Removed) -- cut in wide
Strips

Grind the chiles in a spice mill to form a powder (about 2 tablespoons). In
a bowl, mix chile powder with oil, salt, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.
Add shrimp and marinate for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or overnight
in a refrigerator. Combine melons, sugar, mint, lime juice, and vinegar,
and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare a hot grill. Remove shrimp from marinade and reserve marinade.
Grill shrimp for about 3 minutes, and set aside to cool. Toss the romaine
with 4 tablespoons of the reserved marinade, and form a bed of greens on
each plate. Drain the melons slightly. Peel the shrimp, toss lightly in
some of the reserved marinade. Place melons and shrimp on romaine.

Mark Miller writes of this recipe: “This is one of my favorite brunch
dishes. It combines the searing heat of shrimp marinated with chiles de
arbol and the refreshing taste of ripe melons. Mint provides the perfect
accent in this dish as it combines well with the fruit flavors and
contrasts with the heat of the chiles. The secret to making this salad is
to cool the grilled shrimp in their shells at room temperature rather than
refrigerating them, which can toughen and dry them out, and to peel them at
the last minute. Feel free to use any combination of melons: only the
watermelon is a must!”

Mark Miller of the Coyote Cafe, Santa Fe, New Mexico