Spicy Shrimp with Black Pepper and Blackened Chiles

While Americans call them shrimp and the rest of the world knows them as prawns (sometimes the size is the deciding point for the nomenclature), this well-loved shellfish, a member of the crustacean family (its skeleton is outside, masking succulent, sweet flesh underneath), is ubiquitous, with many popular varieties being farm-raised to meet burgeoning appetites. The prawns found in Indian waters, grayish green in color, are called tiger prawns—especially the larger ones that pile in at 16