There’s nothing better than a summer barbecue – who could resist the aroma of sizzling steak and sausages? Plus, if everyone brings their own meat and drinks, it’s a frugal way to get together and have dinner with friends. One thing I like to impress guests to have as a side to the main meat is this barbecue shrimp with an Asian dressing.
You will need
- 28 large green shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Asian salad leaves
- Fresh coriander
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Asian dressing
- 1 red bird’s eye chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 large red chili, deeseeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander
- Pinch of salt
To make
Place the shrimp in a bowl with the white sugar and salt. Toss to combine and set aside for 20 minutes to develop the flavor of the shrimp.
To make the Asian dressing, combine the garlic, chillies and salt in a mortar. Pound with a pestle until a paste forms, then transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, chopped coriander and palm sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Preheat the barbecue to a medium-high heat and cook the shrimp, turning every so often for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to plates and serve with salad leaves, coriander and the Asian dressing drizzled over the top. Enjoy immediately!
Tip: If you like, you can serve the shrimp on skewers. Just add them to the skewers before cooking on the barbecue.
