Salt Creek Grille chef a jumbo talent

Pass the inviting fireplace on Salt Creek Grille's patio and open the craftsman-style front door. At first, the cozy booths and romantic lighting might win over customers. But it's probably the mesquite-grilled specialties - smoke-scented seafood and prime steaks, fork-tender pork chops, half-pound burgers - that have built such a loyal clientele for the restaurant.

Executive chef Louis Lepe has worked at the Dana Point restaurant since it opened seven years ago. A second-generation chef, Lepe says he fell in love with the kitchen at age 9, when he worked with his father at the Zapotlan Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico. A graduate of the Orange Coast College culinary arts program (Costa Mesa) and the pastry program at the California School of Culinary Arts Le Cordon Bleu (Pasadena), he says he loves to experiment.

Four years ago, he created Salt Creek Grille's popular Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp.

Large shrimp are stuffed with a tangy horseradish mixture, then twist-wrapped with applewood-smoked bacon. Mesquite grilled, then baked, the bacon forms a crunchy coating for the sweet shrimp.

Sweet, yes, but that horseradish gives the shellfish an edgy attitude.

The dipping sauce may be prepared and refrigerated a day ahead, and the shrimp may be prepared and chilled several hours in advance.

Q: With whom would you most like to "do lunch"?

A: My kids. I'm really busy and I miss them. I have a daughter, Tiffany, 5, and a son, Louis Thoranni, 9.

Q: What's your favorite dish to make at home?

A: Swordfish marinated with fresh lime juice, olive oil, chipotle pure, salt and pepper, then mesquite grilled. I serve it with rice and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.

Q: What culinary gadget could you not cook without?

A: My sharp chef knives. You can cut, dice, make garnishes and do a lot with them.

Q: What three ingredients could you not cook without?

A: Pepper, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. Cracked roasted peppercorns, sauted minced garlic and extra-virgin olive oil make a great dip for bread that's better than garlic butter.

Q: When it comes to eating, what's your guilty pleasure?

A: Dark chocolate bars or steaks.

Q: What's your favorite restaurant?

A: Splashes Restaurant at the Surf and Sand Resort (Laguna Beach).

Q: What one cooking tip would you offer to readers to make their time in the kitchen easier?

A: Get everyone involved. Put your friends to work in the kitchen; it makes them happy . . . drinking wine together and learning things.

Q: What's the biggest mistake you ever made while cooking?

A: Oh, when you pick up the phone, you can forget things on the stove, like the garlic is burning.

SALT CREEK GRILLE'S STUFFED JUMBO SHRIMP

Yield: 6 servings

HORSERADISH STUFFING:

1 cup prepared horseradish 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (see cook's notes) 1/4 bunch chives, chopped (about 1/ 4 cup) 1 tablespoon each onion and garlic powder Salt and pepper, to taste

CHIPOTLE-HONEY SAUCE:

1 large shallot, peeled, roughly chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped Juice of 1 1/2 limes 1 chipotle chili (see cook's notes) 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided 2 cups honey BACON- WRAPPED SHRIMP: 18 jumbo shrimp (16-20 per pound), shelled, deveined, with tails intact 18 strips bacon, applewood-smoked bacon preferred Olive oil, for brushing grill

Cook's notes: Panko are coarse, Japanese dried bread crumbs sold at Asian markets and some supermarkets with large Asian specialty sections. Chipotle chilies are sold in small cans in Latin American markets or supermarkets with large Latin American specialty sections. They're packed in adobo sauce. When you use the chipotle in this recipe, don't scrape off the adobo sauce; simply add the chili "as is" to the blender. When possible, make stuffing and sauce a day in advance, so flavors have time to meld.

Salt Creek Grille's orders have 5 shrimp per plate, but as a first course at home, you might prefer 3 shrimp per person. Place about 1/ 4 cup dipping sauce in 6 small bowls. Place one bowl of dipping sauce on 6 small plates. Add 3 shrimp to each plate. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and serve.

Procedure:

1. Stuffing: Mix all stuffing ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Sauce: Place shallot, garlic, lime juice, chipotle, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons parsley in blender or food processor fitted with metal blade; process until pured. Add honey slowly, pureing until all honey is incorporated into sauce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Shrimp: Preheat oven to 400 degrees; preheat grill.

4. Slice shrimp lengthwise 3/4 of the way through, starting at bottom. Do not cut in half. Stuff each shrimp with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons stuffing. Twist bacon around shrimp, tucking end under bacon edge (bacon will wrap more easily if you leave it at room temperature 5-10 minutes before wrapping shrimp). Repeat with remaining shrimp.

5. Brush heated grill lightly with olive oil. Grill shrimp 2 minutes on each side. Place on rimmed baking sheet; bake in oven 8 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked and bacon is crisp.

Nutrition data per 3-shrimp serving with sauce:

Calories 511 (18 percent from fat); 10 g fat (sat 3.8 g, mono 4.4 g, poly 1.5 g); protein 13 g; carbohydrates 104 g; fiber 1.65 g; cholesterol 54 mg; sodium 873 mg; calcium 67 mg.

Source: Louis Lepe, executive chef, Salt Creek Grille

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