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Marinated in a blend of spicy Thai seasonings and spices, these Thai Grilled Shrimp Kabobs are the most flavorful, juicy, succulent shrimp ever. Pair them with a sweet Thai coconut sticky rice for a mouthful you'll not soon forget!
These grilled shrimp kabobs are marinated in a combination of fish sauce, tamarind and soy sauce, and sweetened with just a touch of coconut sugar for the most incredible flavor.
The intense savory flavor of the shrimp is perfect with mild sweetness of some coconut sticky rice. The coconut rice was SO GOOD. I don't recommend skipping it.
We're talking big 'ole trips to flavor town here guys like with this spicy Thai Shrimp Salad or Thai BBQ Spare Ribs.
The Ingredients
Check out this Guide to Thai Ingredients for more information on ingredients used in Thai cooking.
I recommend using the largest shrimp you can find as they will be easier to skewer. I buy the 16/20 shrimp count (learn more about shrimp count). Buy shrimp online (affiliate link).
Tamarind is used to provide the slightly sweet and tangy flavor to the marinade. You can also use tamarind pulp if you have it - just replace the tamarind concentrate with 2 teaspoons of the pulp. Buy tamarind concentrate (affiliate link).
As usual, I highly recommend using Red Boat 40 fish sauce for it's superior flavor. You can use any fish sauce, but I always use the Red Boat. Buy Red Boat 40 (affiliate link). You may also want to read 20+ Ways To Use Fish Sauce.
If you choose to make the coconut sticky rice (I HIGHLY recommend it), you'll need to use full fat coconut milk and short grain sweet rice (affiliate links).
Sambal Olek is a chili paste made from chili and vinegar that is moderately spicy (similar to chili garlic sauce). Buy Sambal Olek (affiliate link).
The remaining ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
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Step By Step Instructions
If you're making the coconut sticky rice - again, I highly recommend it - you will want to start with that as the rice needs to soak for several hours. Scroll down to see the instructions for the rice.
Place all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the shrimp and let marinade for an hour in the fridge.
Remove shrimp from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and place on the bamboo skewers. Cook on a 400 degree grill for 2-3 minutes per side.
The shrimp is done when it is no longer opaque. They will cook quickly.
Heat the reserved marinade to boiling in the microwave. Serve these Thai grilled shrimp kabobs with the coconut sticky rice and drizzle with the reserved marinade. **you can also serve them with this Coconut Rice if you don't want to go to the trouble of making this sticky rice.
How to Make Coconut Sticky Rice
Place the rice in a large bowl and add one can of coconut milk and one can of water. The rice needs to soak for 8-12 hours. I usually do this the morning that I plan to make this recipe.
**If you're in a hurry, you can shorten the soak time to 2-4 hours, but your rice will have less flavor.
Drain the rice in a wire mesh strainer. I use one similar to this one that has little feet I can hook over a pan (affiliate link).
In a saucepan, bring a couple cups of water to a boil and place the rice in the strainer on top. Cover with a lid and let steam for 25 minutes, or until rice kernels are tender.
While the rice is steaming, add the second can of coconut milk, salt and coconut sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
When your rice is done steaming, dump it in a large bowl and pour the sweetened coconut mixture on top. It will look soupy at this time, but don't be worried. It'll soak in. Let the rice sit for 20 minutes to absorb all the coconut milk mixture.
Expert Tips
- Prep the sticky rice in advance as it needs to soak for 8-10 hours for the best results.
- Substitute lime juice for the tamarind if you can't get tamarind.
- Substitute chili garlic sauce for the sambal olek if you need to.
- Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. They are done when they are just barely no longer opaque.
- You can use the broiler to cook the shrimp - broil for 2-3 minutes per side, watching to ensure they don't burn.
- If you prefer not to skewer the shrimp, you can also cook them in a cast iron skillet over high heat. They will cook for about 3-5 minutes total.
Make this a full Thai meal by serving it with these other favorite Thai Recipes:
Did you make this recipe? Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!
Recipe
Thai Grilled Shrimp Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined (16-20 count)
- bamboo skewers
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon sambal olek
Coconut Sticky Rice:
- 1 cup short grain sweet rice
- 2-15 ounce can coconut milk
- 15 ounces water
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add shrimp. Place in fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Reserve the marinade. Heat it to boiling to kill any bacteria.
- Heat the grill to 400F. Skewer the shrimp on bamboo skewers.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove from heat, drizzle with reserved marinade and serve hot with coconut sticky rice (below).
Coconut Sticky Rice:
- Place rice in a large bowl and add 1 can of coconut milk and 15 ounces of water. Let soak in the fridge for 8-12 hours.
- Drain the rice in a metal strainer.
- Place the strainer over a saucepan of boiling water and cover with a lid. Steam for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- While the rice is steaming, add the other can of coconut milk, salt and coconut sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Pour coconut rice back into a large bowl and cover with the coconut milk and sugar mixture. Let the rice sit for about 20 minutes to absorb the liquid.
Expert Tips:
- Prep the sticky rice in advance as it needs to soak for 8-10 hours for the best results.
- Substitute lime juice for the tamarind if you can't get tamarind. Use 2 teaspoons of lime juice.
- Substitute chili garlic sauce for the sambal olek if you need to.
- Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. They are done when they are just barely no longer opaque.
- You can use the broiler to cook the shrimp - broil for 2-3 minutes per side, watching to ensure they don't burn.
- If you prefer not to skewer the shrimp, you can also cook them in a cast iron skillet over high heat. They will cook for about 3-5 minutes total.
Nutrition
Healthy World Cuisine
This is our idea of a perfect dinner. Shrimps and coconut sticky rice... a match made in heaven. Pinning!
Danielle
YAY! I hope you like it. It was actually one of our favorite dinners (I say that about them all though...) LOL
Healthy World Cuisine
We love this recipe so much, we could not help but include it in our round up of the Best Thai Recipes. https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/48-best-thai-recipes/
Danielle
Awww thanks so much!!! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
The marinade for these shrimp sounds absolutely outstanding and your photos are stunning. I don't think I'd be able to resist the coconut sticky rice either. I'll be healthy later...
Danielle
Thanks Lisa! I could have eaten the whole batch of that sticky rice 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo
Perfect timing I just bought shrimp yesterday, I wasn't sure what to do with them and so happy to find this recipe. I found my dinner tonight!
Danielle
What great timing! Hope you love them Claudia!
Demeter
This looks like such a winning dish! Super flavorful and easy to make!
Danielle
Thanks Demeter!
Jennifer
I've never made sticky rice before but I'm pretty sure my hubby would love it! Your photos of the shrimp turned out gorgeous!
Danielle
Thanks Jennifer! I only recently started making sticky rice because I thought it would be a hassle, but it's really not!
Alisa Infanti
Your pics are so good it makes my mouth water looking at this recipe. I am not a huge fan of tamarind so I really like the option to use lime juice instead. I am going to give these a try this week!
Danielle
Thanks so much Alisa! Let me know how they turn out!