These peel and eat shrimp get marinated in a fabulous Thai marinade of garlic, paprika, black sesame seeds, and orange peel before being cooked over high heat on the grill or in a hot wok. Serve them with a dipping sauce that you can make as mild or as spicy as you like.
- Prep Time:
30 mins - Cook Time:
10 mins - Total Time:
40 mins
Isn’t angry sauce a great name? You can already tell that it’s going to be a sauce with some personality. It definitely has some kick but it’s not just about the heat. Like so many Thai dishes, the sauce is the harmonious balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and cool. It perfectly complements the slightly smokey flavor of the Thai grilled shrimp. I can’t take credit for the name though since it’s the creation of Chef Jett Hurapan of Songkran Thai Grill.
A few years ago, Chef Jett had invited a group of us from the Houston Food Blogger Collective to visit his restaurant, sample some dishes and talk about family-style Thai street food. It doesn’t get anymore family-style than these peel and eat Thai grilled shrimp. Chef Jett grilled up a batch for us and invited us to dig in which we were more than happy to do (messy fingers and all). He was also gracious enough to share the recipe.
If you’re interested in exploring more bold flavors of Thai cooking, be sure to try my Thai beef salad and my Thai shrimp soup with noodles and pineapple next!
Ingredient Notes
This marinade for the shrimp delivers some big flavors with just a few ingredients and a short marinating time. The smokiness of the paprika is surprisingly on point. Black sesame seeds and orange peel are two spices I don’t normally stock in my spice cabinet but I was able to find them in the bulk spice section of my grocery store which allowed me to buy just the amount I needed and not commit to full bottles. However, given how much my family enjoyed this dish, having full bottles on hand might not be a bad thing.
Chef Jett uses head-on shrimp at the restaurant but head-on shrimp is surprisingly hard to find at my usual grocery stores. So, I used shrimp that had already been deveined but with the shells still on and didn’t notice any loss of flavor.
Cooking Notes
Chef Jett used the grill to cook the marinated shrimp. As you can see from the photo above, he used a high flame and didn’t get too concerned about flare-ups. I cooked my shrimp in my wok on the stovetop with a high (but controlled) flame. Use whichever cooking technique you’re more comfortable with. They both yield equally delicious results.
Then pass the paper towels and dig in!
Note: I was invited to attend a tasting at the restaurant as a member of the Houston Food Blogger Collective. All food and drink were provided by Songkran Thai Grill. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make Taming of the Spoon possible.
Thai Grilled Shrimp with Angry Sauce {Goong Pao}
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
These peel and eat shrimp get marinated in a fabulous Thai marinade of garlic, paprika, black sesame seeds, and orange peel. You can make the dipping sauce as mild or as spicy as you like.
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dry orange peel
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup (loosely-packed) fresh chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 pound shell-on large shrimp (see Note 1)
For the sauce
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons (loosely-packed) fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 to 1 Thai chili, depending on level of heat desired
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
For the shrimp
- Marinate shrimp. In a large bowl, stir together oil, garlic, sesame seeds, orange peel, paprika, garlic powder, and cilantro. Add shrimp and toss mixture with your hands until shrimp are evenly coated. Let shrimp sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes to marinate.
- Cook shrimp. Grill shrimp in a single layer over a high flame until cooked through, 5-8 minutes, turning half-way through. See Note 2.
For the sauce
- Blend sauce. Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend together until cilantro is evenly chopped, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Notes
- At the restaurant, Chef Jett uses head-on shrimp. However, for this recipe I used shell-on shrimp but with heads removed. You can use either depending on your preference.
- You can also cook the shrimp on the stovetop. Heat a heavy bottom wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and swirl the oil to evenly coat the pan. Add half the shrimp and cook in a single layer until shrimp are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes, turning half-way through. Wipe out pan and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- Recipe adapted from Chef Jett Hurapan.
Flo says
The sauce is incredible! Sometimes when I make a meal that includes plain white rice, I’ll make this sauce on the side to flavour the rice. 🙂 Well done!
Nguyet Vo says
That is such a great idea! I’ll have to try that. Thank you so much for dropping by and leaving such a nice comment.
Anita says
Will the same work for chicken as well?
Nguyet says
I haven’t tried the marinade with chicken but I think it would be great. I would marinate the chicken for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator before cooking it. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Tom says
I made these last night for dinner. Paired it with a raw kale asian ginger salad. AMAZING. Great recipe
Taming of the Spoon says
So glad to hear you made the recipe and loved it. It makes my heart happy. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment. That raw kale asian salad sounds awesome!!