Spicy Caramelized Shrimp With Lemongrass
For those who love all things salty and sweet, Vietnamese tôm rim is an ideal dish, wedding fish sauce with caramel. Variations abound, but traditionally, tôm rim is made by marinating whole, unpeeled shrimp in fish sauce, palm sugar, pepper, garlic and shallot, then sautéing until the shrimp cooks through and the sauce becomes glossy and caramelized. This version, which is adapted from “Vietnamese Home Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2012) by chef Charles Phan, calls for weeknight-friendly peeled shrimp, and builds upon the dish’s classic flavor profile by introducing chile, lemongrass and ginger. Mr. Phan uses a homemade roasted chile paste that is heady with Sichuan peppercorns, ground bean paste and soy sauce, but he suggests store-bought roasted chile paste or chile-bean sauce for ease. You could swap in Sriracha, increase the garlic, apply these flavors to different proteins or even vegetables. Once you’ve understood the foundation of a dish, its potential is infinite.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- ⅔packed cup/146 grams light brown sugar (or 6 ounces palm sugar; see Tip)
- 5tablespoons fish sauce
- 2pounds peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp, patted dry with paper towels
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½tablespoons canola oil
- 2medium shallots, thinly sliced into rings
- 3tablespoons finely minced lemongrass (from 2 stalks; see Tip)
- 1large garlic clove, minced
- 1(2-inch-long) piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
- 5 ½tablespoons roasted chile paste or chile-bean sauce (often labeled ground bean paste)
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the caramel sauce: To a heavy medium saucepan, add the light brown sugar and fish sauce and gently heat over medium-low, whisking occasionally, until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is syrupy, about 5 minutes. (You should have about ½ cup.) Set aside caramel.Step 2
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the shrimp with the pepper and set aside.Step 3
In a 2-quart clay pot or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the shallots and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chile paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Pour in the caramel sauce and stir until combined and warmed, about 2 minutes.Step 4
Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, just until the shrimp are pink and plump, cooked through and coated with a glossy caramel sauce, about 3 minutes.Step 5
Serve with steamed white rice.