My parents grill outdoors quite often, they live in Las Vegas so they can pretty much grill year-round (though I bet during the hottest summer weeks, you could grill directly on the sidewalk). Mom is one of the best hostesses I know, always making sure that there is plenty of food and drink to feed all the guests plus extra in case 30 more people show up.
I have to confess, I’m the same way too. The extra food never gets wasted – our guests can bring home a leftovers or our animals get a nice treat. Our dogs, Coco and Buster, gets first dibs…..then the 10 hens and then lastly, the compost worms get to feast. If we happen to to have shellfish shells, like lobster shell, clam shell or shrimp shells, the hundreds of little Bluegill fish in our pond get a treat.
This is a recipe that I’ve learned from Mom, who has such talent for creating simple, but powerful recipes. Shrimp are marinated with what I call the “Chinese Trinity” – the trio of garlic, ginger and green onion. In addition, I’ve added minced hot chile pepper from our garden.
The Holy Trinity of Chinese Cooking
If you’re familiar with New Orleans cooking, you’ll know that the “Holy Trinity” begins many Cajun and Creole recipes: a saute of onion, green bell pepper and celery.
In Chinese Cooking, the three key aromatics are a stir fry of garlic, ginger and green onion. These three ingredients dominate much of Chinese recipes. If you have time, read Tiger & Strawberries (one of the very first food blogs that I fell in love with 5 years ago) article on The Chinese Triad. Barbara’s post is thorough and also provides some cooking tips on how to use this triad of aromatics.
Mom’s Chinese Grilled Shrimp is one of the simplest recipes that highlights how powerful the combination of green onion, garlic and ginger can be. You can marinate the shrimp overnight or even for just a few minutes if you don’t have time.
Other ingredients that you can add to The Chinese Trinity that are great with this recipe are: cilantro, minced hot chile pepper, orange zest, Chinese 5-spice powder (just a pinch), sesame oil (just a dribble) , Chinese rice wine (just a splash).
Chinese Grilled Shrimp Recipe Video
Grilled Shrimp Chinese Style Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pounds shrimp
- 1 stalk green onion, green part only, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon finely minced chile pepper (or to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat. In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix thoroughly to coat the shrimp. At this point, you can refrigerate for up to overnight or just proceed to next step.
- Skewer the shrimp - for jumbo shrimp, you may want to use two bamboo skewers for each (see photo or video). Grill 2-4 minutes each side (depends on how big the shrimp are). Serve immediately.
- To broil, set the oven rack to 8" below heating unit. Broil 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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i used a little more garlic and ginger that said , but i loved it , great recipe . i’d love to try this recipe with scallops next 🙂
I made this yesterday. Oh man. This is easily the best recipe I have ever made. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thanks for this recipe.
Wow! My favorite seafood is shrimp, and this recipe marries them with just the right ingredients. I’ve even “grilled” them indoors on a grill pan with good results. Thank you so much to finding the perfect blend of ingredients to showcase my favorite seafood. Not only does this taste good, it looks great as well.Â
Your shrimp recipe was tested and featured!!
http://www.obsessivecooking.com/2015/07/chinese-grilled-shrimp.html
Turned out delicious, thanks so much. That Chinese Trinity Never fails!
Awesome Tandoori Chicken Skewer recipe. Must Try.
http://youcanshout.blogspot.com/2013/08/recipe-tandoori-chicken-kababs.html
I really like the idea of using two skewers, just learned something new :).
Thanks for this recipe! I’m going to try it for a Memorial Day Bbq. Looks delicious!
We are just about to get a new grill, so I’ve bookmarked this one to try! Love the Chinese Trinity. Thank you!
Those shrimp sure do look good and pretty easy to make. I live in Las Vegas and certainly do my share of grilling especially in the spring and fall. Will try them out soon.
A true work of art. Just delicious!!!
I cant say how I much in love with shrimp, but my doctor says no. My colestrol levels are extremely high so thanks to that lovely shrimps, which I had past months. Photos are inspiring and mouth watering. Thanks
I love how simple these are!! Perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Pinned.
All of my favorite flavors! I love the touch of sweetness using the orange. I can’t wait to give these a try, we are BBQ as much as possible enjoying the beautiful weather out here in the Phoenix desert.
Lovely wood serving tray btw!
Great and easy recipe with simple ingredients! Can’t wait to make these in the broiler!
What a great recipe and such simple ingredients! I can’t wait to try this once we turn on the outdoor grill as the weather here warms up. Nice heartwarming story about your Mom and her parties – makes me nostalgic for our own family get-togethers. Thanks for sharing the lovely pics and recipe, Jaden!
new to cooking, so forgive this elementary question, please…
what exactly is cooking oil? currently i have extra virgin olive oil and sesame oil. is there really something called “cooking oil” or can i use one of those?
(see, i told you the question was elementary!)
I love this Jaden – it reminds me of the fried shrimp w/ trinity that my parents used to make, but much healthier.
I just grilled some shrimp today and was in love!! Your recipe looks devine!
These look fantastic! And your mom (and you!) sound like one sweet lady!
Just looking at those photos makes me hungry. lol. Thanks for posting your recipe. 🙂
Those shrimp look fantastic and more importantly, delicious.:)
those shrimp look mighty pretty, Jaden! haha I love them! I’m so ready to get the grill out!
You know that I pinned this recipe faster than a shrimp can scoot away from a redfish! Can’t wait to do these this summer!
You have some very lucky creatures at your house…lots of great leftovers coming their way! These grilled shrimp look incredibly good. There’s nothing like the “Chinese trinity” to make simple ingredients shine.