This wonderful Thai shrimp recipe is easy to make and superb for a party. Medium to jumbo shrimp are tossed in a spicy chili-garlic sauce, then broiled in the oven for just a few minutes. Add toothpicks and serve as a party food, or enjoy with rice as a main entree. This spicy shrimp recipe will be a hit with your friends and family, and it's ready in less than 30 minutes! Includes make-ahead tips for parties.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Yield: SERVES 2-3 as a Main Entree
Ingredients:
- 10-20 medium to large-size shrimp/prawns, fresh or thawed from frozen
- 2 Tbsp. light vegetable oil
- 1 + 1/2 Tbsp. coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 1/2 tsp. to 1+1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp. for mild, or up to 1.5 for medium-spicy)
- 1+1/2 heaping Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 fresh chili, minced, OR 1/2 tsp. dried chili flakes
- optional: 2 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into thin strips with scissors, central stem removed
Preparation:
- Rinse shrimp and remove shells, except for tails. Butterfly shrimp by cutting down the length of the back (shallow cuts). Place all other ingredients in a mini-chopper or food processor and process well to form to a chili-garlic sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the shrimp and gently stir/toss to mix. Allow to marinate 5 minutes while your oven heats up. Turn oven to BROIL setting.
- Lay shrimp on their sides on a baking sheet. Place sheet on second or top-most rung of your oven under the broiler and cook 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp are sizzling and steaming, then turn shrimp to cook the other side. If you have any left-over marinade, spoon it over the shrimp. Broil another 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp are plump and succulent.
- Slide the shrimp onto a platter and serve with rice. If serving at a party, add a toothpick to each one and serve as a finger food. Garnish with wedges of lemon or lime and sprinkling of fresh coriander/cilantro. Serving Tip: If I'm having this dish for dinner, I usually make extra sauce to serve on the side - it's excellent with rice!
Make-ahead Tip:
- Prepare the sauce up to a week in advance and keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Take out an hour before you'll be cooking and pour over the shrimp.
- If you're using fresh shrimp, you can toss them in the sauce and freeze them. Take them out of the freezer an hour before your party, then quickly broil when guests arrive.
