There isn’t anything better than the smell of good BBQ. It’s a summer time staple. And no recipe has had me longing for summer as much as John’s recipe for Thai Chili Coconut Shrimp Skewers. John is a BBQ competitor, and after making these skewers, I can tell you that this is a man who knows what he’s doing behind a grill! You have to try these ASAP.
The marinade for these shrimp skewers is full of fresh Thai food flavors, like sweet chili sauce, basil, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. It’s fresh, fun and jam-packed with flavors that you are going to swoon over.
To start, finely mince the garlic and ginger for the marinade.
Roll the limes under your palm to extract as much juice from them as possible and squeeze the juice into the bowl of marinade fixins.
Next, pour in the sweet chili sauce. If you haven’t tried sweet chili sauce yet, get ready to see the light!
Whisk the marinade together until it’s all combined.
Pour the shrimp into the marinade and coat them completely. Cover the bowl and let them marinate in the fridge for an hour. While the shrimp are doing their business, add several bamboo skewers to a large bowl of water and let them soak. This will prevent them from burning while they are on the grill. Preheat the grill to about 350ºF.
Skewer the shrimp onto the soaked bamboo skewers. John suggests using two skewers per shrimp so they don’t spin on the skewers while on the grill. Drain the marinade into a sauce pan and bring the marinade to a boil and reduce it by half to form a glaze for the shrimp.
Place your shrimp skewers onto the preheated grill. Baste the shrimp on each side with the glaze.
Flip the shrimp and baste them again with the glaze. Turn every couple of minutes until they are cooked through. Remove from the grill and sprinkle them with shredded coconut. Serve them immediately and prepare to swoon.
Thank you to John for this fantastic recipe. My husband is so ready for grilling season after these!! Be sure to check out John’s Recipe Box for other inspired food and see his site for other great stuff, like these Fire Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Corn Cakes. Have mercy!
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Description
I made these skewers as part of a surf-n-turf meal for our daughter’s recent sleepover. They combine sweet and a bit of heat with classic Thai flavors. The final touch is a dusting of coconut to add an interesting textural component.
Ingredients
- 1-½ pound Raw Medium Shrimp (26-30 Count), Deveined And Peeled
- ¾ cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes
- FOR THE MARINADE:
- ½ cups Sweet Chili Sauce (I Used Mai Ploy Brand)
- ⅓ cups Soy Sauce (I Used Aloha Brand Because It's Mellow And Less Salty)
- ¼ cups Water
- ¼ cups Thai Basil, Chopped Fine
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Chile Oil (or 1/2 Tsp Red Chile Flakes And 1 Tsp Oil)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, Grated Or Minced Fresh
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, Grated Or Minced Fresh
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 2 whole Limes, Juiced
Preparation Instructions
Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl, whisk very well, and let sit for at least an hour to allow the flavors to marry.
Note: If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least an hour. I like to use two skewers side-by-side to keep the shrimp from rotating when you flip them on the grill.
Put the shrimp in a gallon zip-top bag, add the marinade, shake to distribute well, then seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Start your grill and prepare for direct grilling at medium-high heat (350-375ºF).
Drain the marinade into a small sauce pan, bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, reduce by half to make a glaze and set aside.
Skewer the shrimp so that they barely touch each other. You don’t want them crammed together.
Grill each skewer for about two minutes per side, basting periodically with the glaze.
Remove the skewers from the grill, brush with the glaze, and sprinkle both sides of each with the coconut flakes.
Serve with the remaining sauce for dipping.
Enjoy!
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Megan Keno is the writer and photographer of Country Cleaver, a food blog fueled by Nutella and images of June Cleaver—if June wore cowboy boots and flannel, that is. A self-proclaimed country bum, Megan creates from-scratch recipes that range from simple to sublime and how-to’s to build your cooking repertoire. But she couldn’t do it without the help of her trusty—and furry—sous chef, Huckleberry. He’s a world class floor cleaner.
