Marinated Shrimp & Ginger-Peanut Dipping Sauce
Pulse the green onions, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger into a thick paste, then cook it in olive oil until golden. Add the spices, sugar, and salt, stir until fragrant, and cool. Coat the shrimp with the spice mixture, refrigerate in a re-sealable plastic bag for up to 3 hours, then grill about 2 minutes, turn, and cook until just opaque. Whisk coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice, and ginger in a small pan until smooth, simmer for 5 minutes, and serve the shrimp with the warm sauce alongside.
Shrimp and peanut sauce are a beloved pairing across Southeast Asia, and this version makes the most of both. The shrimp marinate in a fragrant aromatic paste before a quick grill or sear, and they're served with a rich, creamy ginger-peanut sauce for dipping. The smoky, spiced shrimp against the savory-sweet, nutty sauce is a combination that disappears fast — equally at home as a party appetizer or piled over rice for a main.
The Aromatic Marinade
Flavor starts with the paste. Blend an aromatic marinade — ginger, garlic, and warm spices — and let the shrimp soak in it so they take on its fragrance before they ever hit the heat. The marinade seasons the shrimp through and helps them char beautifully. Don't marinate too long, since the shrimp are small and quick to absorb; a short soak is plenty to infuse them with the deep, aromatic flavor that makes them sing off the grill.
The Ginger-Peanut Sauce
The sauce is the star everyone reaches for. Whisk peanut butter with coconut milk, ginger, and a little lime over low heat into a creamy, savory-sweet dipping sauce — loosen it to a dippable consistency and taste for balance, playing the salty, sweet, sour, and spicy against each other. Grill or sear the marinated shrimp fast, just until charred and curled, and serve them warm with the peanut sauce alongside for dunking. The smoky shrimp and nutty sauce are made for each other.
Marinated Shrimp & Ginger-Peanut Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Place the green onions, garlic, lemongrass pieces and ginger into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to create a thick, yellow paste.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable paste and cook until golden, about 10 minutes.
- Add the spices, sugar and salt and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Cool this spice mixture to room temperature.
- Coat the shrimp with the spice mixture.
- Place into a re-sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.
- Heat a grill pan, coated with vegetable oil spray, over medium high heat. Grill the shrimp for about 2 minutes, turn and cook until just opaque about 2 minutes more. The shrimp will be golden and moist on the inside.
- Whisk together coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice, and ginger in a small pan over medium-low heat until smooth.
- Reduce the temperature to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm or at room temperature.
- Serve the shrimp on a platter with a bowlful of ginger peanut sauce alongside.
The Heart of the Table
A platter of fragrant shrimp and a bowl of good sauce set out for dipping is generous, hands-on hospitality at its most fun — the kind of food that gathers people around and keeps them reaching. To grill something this flavorful and pair it with a sauce this crave-able is a warm gesture, an invitation to graze, dip, and linger happily together.
The Art of the Host
A grill or grill pan gives the shrimp their char, and a small pan and a whisk make quick work of the peanut sauce. Marinate the shrimp just long enough to flavor them, grill them fast and hot so they char without overcooking, and adjust the peanut sauce for balance — it should be creamy, savory, and a little sweet and spicy. Serve the shrimp warm with the sauce for dipping.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: Both the marinade and the peanut sauce are made for getting ahead — the sauce keeps well for days and the shrimp can marinate in advance — so the only live step is the quick grill. That makes this an easy, relaxed dish to serve: prep the components early, then cook the shrimp just before your guests dig in.
- The Pour: An off-dry Riesling or a crisp lager suits the fragrant, savory-sweet flavors. For a non-alcoholic option, a ginger-lime soda or a coconut-lime cooler echoes the ginger and peanut.
- The Vibe: This is fun, dip-and-graze eating — pile the smoky shrimp on a platter with the ginger-peanut sauce for dunking, or serve them over rice for a main. It is a fragrant, crowd-pleasing dish made for sharing and for going back for one more.