Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp

Since I like to make seafood at least one a week, and I wanted to finish off the last of the shrimp, I decided to make a shrimp dish. Shrimp, like many other types of seafood, contain high levels of calcium, iodine, and protein, while containing few calories. Although shrimp contain a bit of cholesterol, it is still considered healthy for the circulatory system since it lacks saturated fat, meaning it can improve your LDL to HDL ratio.

This dish doesn't require much in the way of prep (aside from making a caramel sauce) - just cook the shrimp with garlic and onion! Although the version I made this time wasn't bad, I think I would add more garlic and onions next time. The flavor contributions from those two materials should not be underestimated! I'd also watch the caramelization process more closely. Once the water evaporates, the sugar can go from caramelizing to burnt quite quickly! I don't know about you, but I prefer the flavor of caramelized sugar over burnt sugar! We ate these caramel shrimp with a side of pickled carrots and daikon.


Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp by Morsels of Life
(printable version)
Sweetly savory and succulent shrimp, sauted with garlic and onion, and then topped with a caramel sauce.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Materials:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water, divided use
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Methods:

1. Heat the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water until the sugar caramelizes.
2. Carefully add the remaining water and dissolve the caramel.
3. Saute the onion and garlic in a small amount of oil.
4. Add shrimp and fish sauce to onion and garlic, then cook until the shrimp is cooked and pink.
5. Pour caramel sauce over dish and serve.

This post is part of Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, These Chicks Cooked, Recipe Sharing Monday