Thai Tamarind Shrimp

This Thai Tamarind Shrimp packs bold flavors with juicy shrimp, garlic, and a sticky tamarind glaze that’s irresistibly good. And if you’ve already made my homemade Pad Thai sauce, you can whip this up in under 10 minutes—weeknight dinner win!

Course Main Course

Cuisine thai

Keyword shrimp in tamarind sauce, tamarind prawn, tamarind shrimp, Thai shrimp recipes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 510

Author Mary Thatcher

Equipment

1 wok

Ingredients

3 tbsp oil
2-3 shallots
¼ tsp salt
3-4 dried chilies (optional)
1 lb shrimp (peeled on or off)
4 cloves garlic
5 -8 cilantro (Use stems for the garlic -cilantro paste and leaves for garnish.)
3 tbsp coconut sugar
1.5 tbsp tamarind paste
1.5 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 bell pepper (red or green for garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Fry Shallots and Dried Chilies

Slice the shallots evenly. Use a mandolin or slicer for a quick and tear-free process.
Lay the sliced shallots on paper towels. Sprinkle a little salt over them and let them sit for 4-5 minutes. Then, gently blot out the moisture with another piece of paper towel. Alternatively, you can add salt while frying the shallots.
Choose your frying vessel such as a pot or a wok. Use enough oil to submerge all the shallots or only 3 tablespoons if you are using all of them right away and that they don't have to stay crispy for long.
Add the shallots to the oil and pan before turning on the heat. Then, turn the heat to medium-high. You’ll notice vapors around the pan—that’s moisture escaping from the shallots. Starting with cold oil allows more moisture to escape, resulting in crispier shallots. Sprinkle some more salt at this stage.
Remove the shallots when they turn golden. Scoop them out of the hot oil and spread them evenly on paper towels. For the best results, lay several pieces of paper towel on a cooling rack before spreading the fried shallots. At this stage, they won’t be very crispy yet.
Let the fried shallots cool completely. As they cool, they will become crispier. Use them right away or store them in an airtight container at room temperature. If you don't put it in air tight container after within 10 -15 minutes after cooling, they will not stay crispy.
Save the shallot-infused oil to fry the dried chilies and shrimp
Fry the dried chilies in the same oil for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant and slightly smoky. Set aside for garnish.

Prepare the Shrimp and Tamarind Sauce

Make sure the shrimp are deveined. You can leave the peel on or remove it based on your preference.
Sear the shrimp in the reserved oil over medium-high heat for 1–2 minutes per side, until just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Turn off the heat. Finely chop or pound garlic and cilantro stems into a paste.
While the pan is still hot (but not on heat), stir-fry the garlic-cilantro paste for about 30 seconds until fragrant. This prevents the garlic from burning.
Add tamarind paste, coconut sugar, fish sauce, and water to the pan. Turn the heat back on to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce reduces slightly.

Assemble

Return the shrimp and add diced bell pepper to the pan. Stir to coat everything in the tamarind sauce and cook for 1 more minute.
Turn off the heat and top with fried shallots, optional dried chilies, and chopped cilantro.
Serve immediately with jasmine rice and enjoy!

Video

@stickyricethaikitchen
This makes me miss my mom. Tamarind Shrimp Ingredients 3 tbsp oil 2-3 shallots ¼ tsp salt 3-4 dried chilies (optional) 1 lb shrimp (peeled on or off) 4 cloves garlic 5 -8 cilantro (Use stems for the garlic -cilantro paste and leaves for garnish.) 3 tbsp coconut sugar 1.5 tbsp tamarind paste 1.5 tbsp fish sauce 1/2 cup water 1/2 bell pepper (red or green for garnish) #padthaisauce #tamarindshrimp #tamarind #shrimprecipe #thaifood
♬ A Summer Place - Hollywood Strings Orchestra

Notes

Note 1 :

I sincerely thank you for visiting my blog and I appreciate you checking out my passion - recipes! If you enjoy these recipes, please share them, rate 5 stars and leave reviews of ones you try, as it will help the blog continue creating new recipe content. Your recommendation is the highest review I could hope for. Your support means the world to me.

Note 2 : You’ll lose a little of the crispy shallot texture using the Homemade Pad Thai Sauce method unless you already have the fried shallots ready in your pantry. However, the flavor stays absolutely on point—and dinner’s done in under 10 minutes.

Nutrition