Last month, we were trying out a new chicken dish. It was good and we liked it. But often, when we make a new dish, Eric & I end up brainstorming ways to make it better – more flavorful, easier, different, something. There always seems to be some way we think we can elevate it from good to great. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Recently, we tested a pizza recipe that we finally gave up after 4 variations. We just couldn’t get the flavor profile we were looking for from the recipe. It happens.
We had much better luck with the recipe in this post. We felt the classic Thai flavors and sweet & sour sauce would be even better suited to shrimp than it was to the original chicken in the recipe. We loved it with the shrimp and were sold. I expect we’ll make both versions in the future, but more often with shrimp than chicken.
Thai Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Thai Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce (adapted from foodandwine.com) Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed
- 4 cloves garlic, 2 smashed, 2 minced
- 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems, plus 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 20-24 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds)
- 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- cooked rice, for serving
Instructions:
Heat the grill to medium-high. In the cup of a wand blender, puree the jalapeños, smashed garlic cloves, the 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, cooking oil, sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
Put together the cilantro puree
Put the thawed shrimp in a shallow bowl and coat it with the cilantro puree.
Add the puree to the shrimp . . .
. . . coating each one.
Put the shrimp on skewers.
Skewer the shrimp.
Place the skewers on the grill, coating the shrimp with any cilantro puree remaining in the bowl.
Grill the shrimp.
Grill them for 3 minutes then turn them over and grill, just until done, about 2 minutes longer.
The shrimp are cooked!
Meanwhile, in a small stainless-steel saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a simmer, stirring. Simmer the mixture for 2 minutes.
Put together the dipping sauce.
Pour the dipping sauce into a small glass or stainless-steel bowl and allow it to cool. Add the minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, red-pepper flakes, and 1-1/2 tablespoons of water to the mixture, whisking to combine it.
Add the garlic, cilantro, red pepper flakes and a touch of water to the dipping sauce.
Serve the shrimp over the cooked rice with a small bowl of the dipping sauce alongside of it.
Wonderfully flavorful!
Grill + Shrimp = Summer! ~Linda
Thai Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce (adapted from foodandwine.com) Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed
- 4 cloves garlic, 2 smashed, 2 minced
- 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems, plus 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 20-24 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds)
- 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- cooked rice, for serving
Instructions:
Heat the grill to medium-high. In the cup of a wand blender, puree the jalapeños, smashed garlic cloves, the 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, cooking oil, sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Put the thawed shrimp in a shallow bowl and coat it with the cilantro puree.
Put the shrimp on skewers and place them on the grill, coating them with any cilantro puree remaining in the bowl. Grill them for 3 minutes then turn them over and grill, just until done, about 2 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, in a small stainless-steel saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a simmer, stirring. Simmer the mixture for 2 minutes. Pour it into a small glass or stainless-steel bowl and allow it to cool. Add the minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, red-pepper flakes, and 1-1/2 tablespoons of water to the mixture, whisking to combine it. Serve the shrimp over the cooked rice with a small bowl of the dipping sauce alongside of it.