The Tangy, Taste-Packed Grilled Shrimp I am Making on Repeat This Summer season

Given how usually I bake, individuals assume I favor candy over savory, however that could not be farther from the reality. I really like savory meals, and looking out again, I understand the dominant taste that formed my palate from my childhood in Vietnam to maturity wasn’t sweetness, however sourness: shiny, mouth-puckering, layered sourness. Kumquats and limes, ardour fruit, yuzu, and tamarind—these tart components have been my taste playground.

Most of these fruits—kumquat, lime, ardour fruit, and yuzu—nonetheless develop in my backyard right here within the US. The one one lacking is tamarind. That taste comes from my reminiscences of Vietnam, the place a tamarind tree stood in entrance of our home. I adored that tree. It offered a cool place to flee the warmth, and its brown pods, with their sticky-sweet and tangy pulp, have been a relentless supply of snacks and inspiration. My mother would mash up the brownish pulp with heat water to extract the meat from the seeds and fibers to make all the things from dipping sauces to candies, however one dish stood out: grilled tamarind prawns (tôm nướng me).

Tamarind is now an integral a part of my cooking arsenal. It provides a posh sourness that is delicate and wealthy—much less sharp than lime or vinegar—with a mild fruitiness that enhances warmth, balances sweetness, and elevates nearly all the things it touches. It is the flavour I return to most, and right here, it stars in my tôm nướng me. Tôm interprets to prawns/shrimp, nướng means grilled, and me means tamarind. 

For her model, my mother mashed recent tamarind pulp with heat water to extract the juice, then mixed it with fish sauce, sugar, garlic, shallots, and pepper to marinate the prawns. She’d grill them over a charcoal brazier, and as quickly as they have been cool sufficient, we would rip off the heads, suck out the savory juices, and crunch into the crackly shells to get to the juicy, tangy, smoky meat beneath.

Selecting and Prepping the Prawns or Shrimp

I name for head-on, shell-on prawns, ideally giant tiger prawns, dimension 8/9 (that means 8 to 9 per pound). If you happen to can’t discover prawns, colossal shell-on shrimp work superbly too (ideally with their heads, however the recipe will even work with headless shrimp.)

To organize the prawns, use a pointy knife or kitchen shears to butterfly them alongside the again—minimize about midway via the meat, leaving the top, shell, and tail intact so the 2 halves keep linked. Rigorously separate the shell from the meat simply barely. This step helps the marinade seep into all of the nooks and crevices, infusing the prawns with taste whereas they relaxation.

Maintaining the heads and shells on is not only for appears to be like—the shells act like insulation, defending the fragile meat from direct grill warmth, serving to them retain moisture and stopping the shellfish from drying out. The heads, in the meantime, are full of taste and fats, including richness as they grill and flavoring the marinade throughout soaking.

To maintain the meat extra-plump and tender, I borrow a way from Kenji’s grilled shrimp recipe and provides the prawns a fast soak in ice water with salt and baking soda earlier than marinating. This companies them up and helps protect that juicy snap if you chunk in.

As soon as soaked and patted dry, the prawns get tossed within the tamarind marinade and left to relaxation within the fridge for about 4 hours, flipped midway via to make sure even coating. The acidic marinade gently tenderizes the prawns, so even when you depart them on the grill a contact too lengthy (which, let’s be trustworthy, occurs to all of us), they’ll nonetheless end up pleasantly tender and flavorful.

The Candy, Tart, and Tangy Dipping Sauce

Whereas the prawns marinate, I put together a easy tamarind dipping sauce with fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and a chook’s-eye chile. It is simply spicy sufficient to maintain you coming again for an additional chunk. You may flip up the warmth with extra chilies if that is your model. Simmer the combination gently till thickened, then let it cool to room temperature when you grill the shrimp, and also you’re good to go.

Grilling and Serving the Prawns

When able to grill, shake off the surplus marinade earlier than cooking the prawns over direct warmth for only a few minutes per facet. The shells will turn into crackly and aromatic, and the meat will flip opaque and tender. Do not overdo it—shrimp and prawns are famously simple to overcook. Pile the succulent, smoky, candy shellfish onto a platter, dip them generously into the tangy, spicy sauce, and eat them whereas they’re nonetheless heat.

For me, this dish is greater than scrumptious—it is an edible reminiscence, a snapshot of sticky summer time nights, the hiss of a charcoal grill, and the zing of tamarind on my tongue.

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