Disclaimer: I may have mentioned this before, but it probably appears that all I do is serve shrimp (rolls eyes at self). In reality, shrimp is a nice treat, not a nightly occurrence.
This recipe from Bon Appétit was super easy, will work with any protein, and freezes well. @myopicprophet and other DS vegans/vegetarians, I suspect that it would also be delicious using eggplant or potatoes in lieu of a protein. My kitchen garden was abundant in basil when I made this in late September.
They say “I bet that There’s so much more you can do with your farmers’ market basil than making pesto! Just toss a bunch in a hot pan as the finishing touch for charred shrimp that’s been flavored with a spicy, garlicky marinade, resulting in a fuss-free dinner.”
Ingredients
- 3 Fresno chiles, coarsely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 4 Tbsp. vegetable or grapeseed oil, divided
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 2 cups basil leaves, or more
- Rice for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Directions
Blend chiles, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, salt, and 3 Tbsp. oil in a blender until smooth. Transfer marinade to a medium bowl and add shrimp; toss to coat. Let sit 10 minutes (I marinated it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to give extra absorption time. You could let it soak overnight, even.)
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Just when oil begins to smoke and working in batches if needed, add shrimp, leaving marinade behind, and cook, turning once, until lightly charred around the edges, about 1 minute per side. Remove pan from heat. Add basil and toss vigorously until basil is wilted.
Transfer shrimp mixture to a platter. Serve over rice with lime wedges alongside.
This kind of Thai flavoring would work great with tofu.
Yes, yes it would. The local carnivore will not eat tofu.
That looks really good. Would it work without the sugar?
I think a lot of Thai food in the US uses too much sugar.
Most Asian sauces fall under that category, I think. Sweet and “sour” Red Sauce No 5.
I think it would. A little extra fish sauce would help.
Yeah, a 1/4 cup sounds like a lot. I will give this a go without any of the sugar.
Report back?
I think that it would be fine without the sugar; I figured it was there to help with charring more than the taste. Honey would work as well, but that may also be a no-no for you? Heck, maybe even a splash of diet Dr. Pepper? Or no sugar at all.
That makes sense. I was wondering if that amount of sugar was required in order to caramelize-char the shrimp.
I think a big part of it is traditional Thai sugar is a lot less refined than pure white sugar, so you need a lot less to get the caramelization.
It would “work” without the sugar but it wouldn’t be the “right” flavor. It depends on what you like. When cooking/marinating with fish sauce, we (SE Asians) use some form of sugar. That being said, 1/4 cup does sound like way too much sugar for this recipe.
Do NOT apologize for shrimp recipes. There are too few out there. This looks fantastic.
(Blushes) thank you!
This looks so easy and flavorful! Thanks 😋
To all the people saying a 1/4 cup of sugar is too much “STOP IT”. If Ellie wants to give me sugar let her do it. Help a brother out.
Yeah yeah. You wanna compare A1C levels smartass?
tbh…i could do with shrimp rolls every night
and yours always sound good
(i havent made any to recipe yet….but i have been stealing ideas from them and used those in mostly rice dishes)
Perfect – that is the sign of a good chef!