Chili-Lime-Brandy Grilled Shrimp Recipe

Leela Punyaratabandhu

Tipsy shrimp, grilled, and doused with a sauce that is a cross between Thai sweet chili sauce and the most typical Thai spicy seafood sauce—all done in 30 minutes.

Recipe Details

Chili-Lime-Brandy Grilled Shrimp Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds jumbo shrimp

  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce, divided

  • 2 tablespoons brandy (or tequila)

  • 2 tablespoons plain vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 3 Thai bird's eye chiles or 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper

  • 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

  • 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 2 to 3 limes

  • 2 tablespoons zest from 2 to 3 limes, divided

Directions

  1. Put shrimp, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, brandy, and oil in a medium mixing bowl; toss to coat; set aside.

  2. To make the sauce, put sugar, chilies, garlic, and the remaining fish sauce in a small saucepan set it over low heat, and bring the mixture to boil, whisking constantly. Once sugar has melted and mixture becomes syrupy, remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in lime juice and 2/3 of the lime zest; set aside.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.

  4. Thread marinated shrimp lengthwise onto bamboo or metal skewers. Grill shrimp over medium-high heat, brushing with prepared sauce. Once exteriors are slightly charred and the shrimp flesh turns opaque, remove the shrimp skewers from heat and arrange them on a serving platter, about 3 minutes total.

  5. Sprinkle the remaining lime zest over the grilled shrimp and serve.

Notes

This is an easy grilling recipe which can also be adapted for stove-top cooking. When the weather does not cooperate, simply broil or pan-sear the shrimp and douse them with this spicy sweet and sour sauce. Try serving this with coconut rice (jasmine rice cooked in half coconut milk and half water instead of plain water).

Special Equipment

Bamboo skewers

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
343 Calories
9g Fat
32g Carbs
32g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 343
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 286mg 95%
Sodium 2345mg 102%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 9mg 47%
Calcium 151mg 12%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 364mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)