I love spicy things and sambal is one of my favorite condiments. It’s a chili paste that is delicious on most things: rice, poultry, beef, eggs – you name it. Not too long ago, I was standing in my kitchen trying to come up with some inspiration for foods to cook. I had an almost full bottle of sambal in the cabinet and I immediately thought: oooh, sambal shrimp. Is that a thing? Of course it is.
I promise I’ll get to the shrimp in a second but first, let’s talk about something random for a minute. Here it is: I finally started watching Madam Secretary. I never had any interest in watching it because…well, honestly, I have no real reason. John and I used to watch The Good Wife religiously and Madam Secretary came on before. So I always saw the last five minutes of it as I waited impatiently for it to hurry and go off.
I’ve had quite a few people tell me I’d probably like the show so I finally decided to give it a try. Now, I can’t make any official opinions because I’m only one episode in but it’s kept my attention thus far. I usually like political type shows and movies anyway so it doesn’t take much to suck me in. Have you ever watched Madam Secretary? What do you think?
Sambal Shrimp (appetizer or main dish)
Now that I’m done randomly talking about Madam Secretary, let’s move on to food. One of John’s favorite dishes from The Bitter Alibi is topped with sambal and because he’s nice enough to let me have some, it has become one of my favorite dishes for brunch. Sambal is much different from sriracha or any other type of hot sauce, though.
Like I mentioned, it’s a chili paste but it does have other ingredients like different vinegars and ginger. It’s spicy but the spice level is dependent upon how much you decide to pile on your meal. Either way, I love it topped on foods but also blended in dishes too – or even a marinade like today’s dish.
I got the idea for sambal shrimp for a couple of reasons but the major reason is because I NEVER make shrimp dishes here. I felt the need to share something other than chicken and shrimp is so easy to prepare, it was a no-brainer. This is perfect to serve as an appetizer or even alongside hearty side dishes like rice or potatoes. No matter how you cut it, you’ll want to make this sambal shrimp. Let’s do it.
Notes
I left the tail on my shrimp but it isn't necessary at all. With or without the tail, the shrimp will still be delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sambal
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Knob of ginger (about an inch), peeled & minced
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 lb shrimp (tail on, optional)*
- Parsley, chopped (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients (minus the shrimp) and stir well to combine; add in the shrimp and toss. Allow the shrimp to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pour out shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 6-8 minutes (or until shrimp becomes a pinkish color).
- Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with parsley.
