Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp (Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt)

Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp (Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt)

Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt is a popular Vietnamese street food that you will most likely find with a boisterous crowd and heavy drinking.

It’s a popular high-end appetizer among those who like to ăn nhậu because who doesn’t like tasty foods that cook up quickly when you’re half drunk? Plus, watching tipsy people trying not to impale themselves with sharp skewers is an added entertainment of this appetizer.

Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp (Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt)

To make this appetizer, large prawns or shrimps are impaled on wooden skewers and marinated with a simple mixture of chili peppers, salt, and other seasonings before hitting the grill. Like all seafood, it comes with a dipping sauce of salt, ground black pepper, and lime wedges that you can squeeze yourself to your liking.

For my Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt recipe below, I thought it was funny that I actually didn’t use salt (Muối ) nor chili peppers (Ớt) in the marinade. Let me explain.

I replaced the salt with oyster sauce, which is also salty but it has more umami flavor than just plain salt.

Because I was cooking for kids, I omitted the chili peppers in the marinade. I left them on the side for those who want to add it or smash it into their own dipping sauce.

Even though there were no chili peppers and salt, it still turned out super ngon.

Marinade Recipe for Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp (Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt)

Why use annatto oil?

The annatto oil not only provides a nice subtle fragrance and gives the shrimp a beautiful orange/red color that the Vietnamese are obsessed with, but it also prevents the shrimp from drying out on the hot grill.

If you do not have annatto oil or dried annatto seeds to make the oil, substitute with any mild-flavor oil.

Skewering shrimp for the grill. Start at the tail-end then work your way up.

These shrimp were so delicious straight off the grill that I didn’t even bother removing the shell. I ate the whole thing, shell, head and all, like a potato chip. Just be careful of the prickly horn on the shrimp head if you are using large prawns. Better yet, cut them off with a pair of scissors when cleaning the shrimp so there’s no chance of accidental stabbing.

These shrimp were nicely flavored so I didn’t think the dipping sauce was necessary. But you can’t have a grilled shrimp without a side of dipping sauce for presentation purposes. So make the sauce for your Instagram shot, but it really wasn’t necessary flavor-wise.

Grill these beauties up at your next barbecue. Not only do they look appetizing, but they also taste absolutely and utterly amazing.

Recipe below. Happy cooking.

Large prawns with shell, head and tail-on are ideal for grilling

Vietnamese Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp (Tom Nuong Muoi Ot)

Makes 35 shrimp skewers

Ingredients

Shrimp/Wooden Skewers

• 35 large shell-on-tail-on prawns/shrimp
• 35 wooden skewers (soak in water for 30 minutes)

Marinade

• 3 tablespoons annatto oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoons minced shallot
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 5 fresh chili peppers mince finely (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon MSG (optional)

Dipping Sauce

• Ground black pepper (1 part)
• Sea salt (4 parts)
• Lime/lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Skewer the shrimp, starting at the tail then through the head.
2. In a medium-size bowl, combine annatto oil, sesame oil, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, oyster sauce, sugar, chili peppers (optional) and MSG (optional). Mix until combined. Brush marinade on shrimp skewers and set them aside to marinate for at least one hour or overnight in the fridge for better results.
3. Grill shrimp over high heat for about one minute per side or until lightly charred. Place on a serving platter and serve with optional dipping sauce.

Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp (Tôm Nướng Muối Ớt)