This Sticky, Spicy, Basil Shrimp is one of my favorites. Super easy, with a ton of flavor. I love it.
Made if for Edith who asked for the recipe and also for Sylvie, Greg, Sarah and many more and it was a hit on every occasion. It is an easy go to for me because I usually have shrimp in the freezer and I do usually have ginger root and basil. Easy to shop for even if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand.
I found this in The Cook You Want To Be by Andy Baraghani. Andy writes about the need for salt (and good salt), mighty flavor, levels of tang, and acid. The book is just beautiful. He incorporates so many flavors and he writes with humor and ease.
The marinade is quick to blend and the shrimp takes about 7 minutes to cook. I like to serve with cucumbers as mentioned in the recipe but also some fresh pineapple. Yum!
I don’t use all of the garlic in the recipe (but you should if you can digest it well) and I sometimes sub the Fresno chile with red pepper and a little cayenne – so fiddle as you see fit with the ingredients you have and can find. Lastly – use this marinade for pork chops, roasted cauliflower and really anything.
Ingredients:
4 Fresno chili, coarsely chopped (see above for sub)
8 garlic cloves (I use 4)
2 inch piece of ginger peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sugar (I know seems like a lot, but this is just a marinade!)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt (diamond crystal – if using Mortons or table salt cut in half)
1/4 neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado, I’ve used olive too), plus 2 tablespoons
2 pounds head on, shell on shrimp (for flavor) – although I confess sometimes I only have the peeled tail on!
3 cups basil leaves
lime wedges, sliced cucumbers and pineapple for serving
In a blender, combine the chiles, garlic, ginger, sugar, fish sauce, salt, and 1/4 cup oil. Blend until very smooth. Pour this into a medium bowl and add the shrimp. Let marinate for 15 m or so.
Heat a large cast iron or non stick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot add the oil. When the oil feels hot add the shrimp using tongs – discarding the excess marinade. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. You may want to use two pans or cook in batches. Cook until shrimp are lightly charred around the edges for about 3 minutes.
Flip shrimp and cook on second side until cooked through another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the basil – toss well until the basil is wilted.
Squeeze with lime and arrange more lime around the shrimp on a platter or simply serve from you pan. Serve cucumber and pineapple along too and enjoy this scrumptious meal.
