Grilled Shrimp with Thai Coconut Peanut Sauce – Culinary Seasons

This recipe may not be a traditional Thai dish but it plays with some of the classic flavors in Thai cuisine, sweet and creaminess from coconut milk, salty and spicy from the peanut sauce, and sour from the lime juice. I made this dish on the fly one day when I was asked to make an Asian dish that wasn’t as spicy as a curry. The client loved it so much that it became a favorite among family and friends as well. This simple and quick to make sauce goes well with any meat and can be spiced up with chiles while cooking or chili sauces on your plate.

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Peanut Sauce

Typically in Thailand you won’t find the creamy processed peanut sauces that we have in the grocery stores in the U.S. The peanut or satay sauces are used mainly as a dipping sauce and the actual use of the peanut sauce in a dish is not that common. That being said, the brands in the stores here have a nice balance of creaminess and spice that blends well with coconut milk in a dish or as a dipping sauce or brush on a grilled chicken skewer. The brand I like to use is House of Tsang Bankok Peanut Sauce it is gluten free and vegetarian.

Grill up some veggies, chicken or shrimp and glaze sauce on while grilling or use as a dipping sauce. This recipe uses a marinade for the shrimp but glazing the shrimp while grilling would be added spice and flavor to the shrimp. Saute some vegetables and add to the sauce and make it a dish that you can pour over rice!

Enjoy!

If tamari is substituted for the soy sauce in the marinade this recipe would be Gluten Free.

  • Marinade Ingredients

  • 1 lb Shrimp 21-30, peeled and deveined with tail on

  • 1 Tbl Scallions

  • 1 tsp Garlic minced

  • 1 Tbl Ginger minced

  • 1 tsp Lemongrass minced

  • 1 Tbl Fish Sauce

  • 1 Tbl Pickled Ginger Juice or Seasoned Rice Vinegar

  • 1 Tbl Michiu Wine or Sherry

  • 1/4 cup Light Soy Sauce (or 2 Tbl regular soy sauce and 2 Tbl water)

  • 1 Tbl Chili Oil

  • Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 Tbl Vegetable Oil

  • 1 ea Shallot sliced or minced

  • 1 Tbl Ginger minced

  • 1 Tbl Lemongrass minced

  • 1 Tbl Garlic minced

  • 2 Tbl Scallions sliced

  • 8 oz Coconut Milk

  • Juice of 1 Lime

  • 4 oz Peanut Sauce

  • 2-3 Tbl Thai Basil chiffonade

  • Thicken with Cornstarch Slurry

  • Garnish

  • Scallions

  • Crushed Peanuts

  • Thai Basil chiffonade

  • Shrimp Marinade
  • Peel and devein the shrimp if necessary
  • Mince the scallions, ginger, lemongrass and garlic.
  • Combine all ingredients and pour over shrimp.
  • Marinate for 1-2 hours.Longer may start to cure the shrimp.
  • Grilling the Shrimp
  • Preheat the grill.
  • Skewer the marinated shrimp.
  • Grill shrimp on first side for 1 minute.
  • Turn the shrimp to the other side and grill until the shrimp have curled into a “C” shape.
    Color should be a pale pink. There will be carry over cooking when you remove the shrimp from the grill. Also, if adding the shrimp to the sauce, the shrimp will cook additionally in the sauce. It is recommended to serve as soon as you add to the sauce.
  • Prep for the Sauce
  • Slice the shallot & scallions.
  • Mince the ginger, garlic and lemongrass.
  • Making the Sauce
  • In a saute pan or wok, heat the oil.
  • Add the shallot and caramelize
  • Add the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass.
  • Saute to release the aromatics. 
  • Add the coconut milk and lime juice
  • Add the peanut sauce and combine the sauce in the pan.
  • Add the Thai basil and Scallions.
  • Thicken with cornstarch until sauce consistency.
  • Add shrimp to the sauce or serve the shrimp skewered on a plate with the sauce.

    Enjoy!