Shrimp Satay
While I was in Bali, I spent a day cooking with a woman named Nina. Her kitchen was outside, covered with a tin roof and surrounded by coconut trees. Next to the house was a huge pile of dried coconut shells the family used to burn for fuel to heat the house. One of the dishes we made was grilled shrimp satay, which is marinated shrimp on a skewer grilled over fire. Nina’s son had a small grill with hot coconut embers, and he grilled our satays as quickly as we could make them. I don’t have the convenience of coconut shells for my grill, but I still get the flavor of the coconut in the marinade. Although charcoal or wood fire grilling imparts the best flavor, you can use a gas grill or cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
Serves 8
Shrimp Satay:
24 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chile powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 wooden skewers
Process
Rinse shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel and put into a bowl. In the bowl of a food processor, add the lemon juice, oil, garlic, coconut, turmeric, chile powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse until mixture forms a paste. Add to the shrimp and toss to coat well. Let marinate for 30 minutes. Soak wooden skewers in a bowl of water while shrimp is marinating. Light a charcoal grill (or gas grill) to high temperature. Thread 3 shrimps onto each wooden skewer and grill for 2 minutes on each side. Serve warm.
