Now that I don’t actually need to wear a parka to be outside, my outdoor grill beckons me to cook with it more often. I love grilling all kinds of foods – it’s quick, the clean up is minimal, and best of all, you get that smoky grilled flavour that you just can’t replicate with any other cooking method.
Once the ingredients are prepped, this dish comes together quickly and easily.
Shrimp are a fabulous grill item – they cook in just a few minutes, so you can prepare everything else in advance (including bringing the chilled beers to the picnic table), and be ready to eat in under 5 minutes.
I used a grilling basket to cook the shrimp on the grill. It made it easier for me to get them off the grill and into a bowl, but you could just as easily grill them directly on your barbecue. Just make sure you’ve oiled the surface first to prevent sticking.
I adapted this recipe from Marguerite Marceau Henderson’s Small Plates – Appetizers as Meals cookbook. Her recipe called for cooked shrimp, but since I wanted to fire up the grill, I switched things up a bit. I modified the ingredients list a bit, but kept the spicy Asian flavours that Marguerite’s recipe achieved. It was a knockout!
Shrimp art. I wonder what Andy Warhol would do with this.
This recipe is just what you’re looking for on a nice summer weekend day. Quick and easy barbecued finger food that’s right at home with some cold drinks on the patio. I love this for lunch, because it’s not quite enough for a meal, but if you’ve had a good breakfast, and don’t want to eat too much before supper, this really hits the spot. It would also be perfectly at home as part of a mixed grill for a supper party, or even as an appetizer at a cocktail party or family gathering.
Sapporo Draft, a really good Japanese beer, hit the bullseye as the drink of choice to serve with this Asian inspired dish.
You can make the dipping sauce in advance, and if you have any left over, throw it into your next stir fry, meatloaf mix, or as a marinade for beef or pork. I took the leftover sauce and used it to season a home made ground pork filling that I used to stuff some long sweet red peppers, and then topped them with shredded cheese. That was an awesome supper…
Hot, sour, salty, sweet. Perfect!
A great appetizer or light meal, these shrimp have a bit of heat and some great Asian flavours. Don't let the fish sauce intimidate you - it shines when it mingles with the sourness of the lime, the heat of the chili paste, and the sweetness of the sugar.
This recipe is adapted from Marguerite Marceau Henderson's Small Plates - Appetizers as Meals cookbook. If you don't want to grill the shrimp, feel free to use pre-cooked ones, and follow the recipe, omitting the grilling steps.
Ingredients
- For the shrimp:
- 2 pounds raw, peeled and deveined shrimp (I like to leave the tails on)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 tbsp minced ginger (from a jar)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice (from a squeeze bottle)
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (you can reduce this amount if you want less heat)
- For the spicy dipping sauce:
- 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice (from a squeeze bottle)
- 1 tsp Asian hot garlic chili paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
- 2 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp minced garlic (I used the jarred minced garlic)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine shrimp, sesame oil, soy sauce, mint, ginger, sugar, lime juice and chili flakes. Toss well; marinate for at least 2 hours.
- In the meantime, prepare the dipping sauce. In a bowl, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Preheat the grill to medium direct. Oil the grates if cooking directly on the grill. If using a grilling basket or tray, spray with cooking spray.
- Remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in the grilling tray, or directly on the grill. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over and let cook for another minute or two, depending on how hot your grill is.
- Remove the shrimp from the grill, and serve with the dipping sauce, and a few cold beers (if you wish!)
I love fish sauce, that’s probably because I am Asian and grew up with it. My husband fears it, he cringes whenever he’s sees the bottle in our spice cupboard lol, thanks for sharing your recipe:)
Lily recently posted…Pan-Fried Cupcakes with Ice Cream and Berries
I agree with your husband, Lily. Fish sauce on its own is kind of unappealing, and I really don’t like the smell of it. But when mixed with other ingredients, it just elevates whatever it touches!