plate of shrimp skewers with a bowl of sauce and lime wedges
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All Shellfish Easy Grace Parisi Grill / Smoke Shrimp Test Kitchen

Lemongrass Shrimp Satay with Peanut Sauce

Written by: Grace Parisi

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Published on

Lemongrass Shrimp Satay with Peanut Sauce

Prep time

20min

Total time

40min

Servings

4

Category

Appetizer

Origin

Thai

The lemongrass spice mixture serves double purpose — flavoring the shrimp and seasoning the peanut sauce. Using creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif creates a silky smooth sauce that natural peanut butter simply cannot. Double the recipe for 4 main course servings. 

Ingredients

  • 1 large shallot, chopped

  • 2 large garlic cloves

  • 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 6-inches only, outer leaves peeled, finely chopped

  • 1 serrano or jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded

  • 4 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided

  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger

  • 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

  • 1 pound cleaned shrimp

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • ½ cup coconut milk

  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus wedges for squeezing

  • Chopped cilantro, Thai basil, and peanuts for garnish

Directions

Marinate the Shrimp

Preheat the grill. In a blender, combine the shallot, garlic, lemongrass, chile, 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce, coriander, and ground pepper. Process to a smooth paste and transfer 1/2 of the paste to a large bowl. Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss to coat completely.

Assemble the Skewers

Thread the shrimp on 4 pairs of 8-inch bamboo or metal skewers. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Make the Sauce

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan. Add the reserved lemongrass seasoning paste and cook over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil, stirring. Whisk in the peanut butter and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the lime juice and transfer the sauce to a bowl. 

Grill and Serve

Grill the shrimp satay over high heat until lightly charred and cooked through, 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the herbs and peanuts. Serve with the lime wedges and peanut sauce on the side. 

Pro tips

Pair it Up

A dry or off-dry Riesling or a citrusy wheat beer, such as a Hefeweizen or Belgian witbier, balances the rich peanut sauce and complements the shrimp's delicate sweetness.

Make It A Meal

In keeping with the dish, serve coconut rice or a Thai-style rice noodle salad (bun) with carrots, cabbage, herbs, and nuoc cham dressing alongside. For a lighter option, sice cucumbers and toss with lime juice, sambal, and pinch of sugar. 

Leftover Magic

Cut leftover shrimp into bitesize pieces and combine with shredded carrots, cabbage, sliced cucumbers, cilantro, thai basil and peanuts. Add some of the peanut sauce and toss to coat for a simple riff on the Indonesian salad, gado-gado. 
plate of shrimp skewers with sauce and lime wedges
photo by Grace Parisi
Grace Parisi

Grace Parisi

Culinary Director Grace Parisi is a cook, writer and cookbook author. Formerly the Senior Test Kitchen Editor at Food & Wine Magazine and Executive Food Director at TimeInc Books, her work has appeared in Cooking Light, Health, O Magazine, Epicurious, Fitness, Today, Serious Eats, Martha Stewart, and many more. She’s the author of more than 6 books, among them The Portlandia Cookbook and Get Saucy, which was nominated for a James Beard award for Best Single Subject Cookbook.

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