August 9, 2026

grilled shrimp skewers with coconut cream

i made these shrimp skewers for our vietnamese wine bar party, and they ended up being one of my favorite bites of the night! it was also a perfect teamwork dish — the boy took care of marinating and cooking the shrimp, using a blend of scallions, garlic, and chilies that gave the shrimp lots of flavor and a little kick, while i prepped a rich coconut cream sauce for dipping and tied everything together with pickled onions and fresh cilantro. the bright, tangy toppings cut through the rich sauce and smoky shrimp so every bite feels balanced.

i also think skewers are the perfect party food. they’re easy to eat with one hand, perfectly bite-sized, and can be prepped ahead so all that’s left to do is cook the shrimp before everyone arrives. every bite has the perfect balance of spicy, creamy, fresh, and tangy, and i already know i’ll be making these again for future dinner parties.

i used (for 16 shrimp skewers):

shrimp — recipe adapted from feed the pudge’s tom nuong recipe!

  • 48 shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 scallions, chopped into 3-inch long pieces
  • 1/2 jalapeno
  • 2 thai chilis
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • garnish: lime, pickled onions, cilantro
  • 6-inch yakitori skewers

coconut cream:

  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
  • 1 13.5oz can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 lime
  • salt
  • pepper

to make:

  • marinate the shrimp:
    • in a blender, combine the scallions, jalapeno, thai chilis, garlic, fish sauce, and avocado oil, blend until smooth
    • toss the shrimp with the marinade until evenly coated, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour
  • prep coconut cream sauce
    • bring garlic, coconut milk, and fish sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat
    • increase heat to high and continue cooking coconut milk until thickened to the consistency of runny honey ~8 minutes, then remove from heat
    • add in a squeeze of lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. remove the garlic cloves and set aside
  • cook and skewer the shrimp:
    • soak the skewers in water for ~30 minutes, this prevents them from burning!
    • skewer the shrimp so that there’s three shrimps per skewer
    • cook the shrimp skewers on a lightly oiled grill or skillet on medium heat until cooked through, ~2 minutes per side
  • on a large plate (or plates), spread the coconut cream, then layer shrimp skewers on top. finish with a squeeze of lime juice, pickled onions, and cilantro
  • prep note: for parties, you can make the coconut sauce the day before!
  • pickled onions: to make pickled onions, i use thinly sliced red onions along with 50% hot water, 50% white vinegar, a spoonful sugar of and a pinch of salt. cover and let sit for at least 24 hours in the fridge. this recipe is closest to what i do!

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Coconut Cream

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Ingredients
  

for the shrimp:

  • 48 shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2 stalks of green onions
  • 1/2 jalapeno
  • 2 thai chilis
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • garnish: lime pickled onions, cilantro
  • 6- inch yakitori skewers

for the coconut cream:

  • 3 cloves garlic roughly sliced
  • 1 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 lime
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions
 

marinate the shrimp:

  • in a blender, combine the scallions, jalapeno, thai chilis, garlic, fish sauce, and avocado oil, blend until smooth
  • toss the shrimp with the marinade until evenly coated, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour

prep coconut cream sauce

  • bring garlic, coconut milk, and fish sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat
  • increase heat to high and continue cooking coconut milk until thickened to the consistency of runny honey ~8 minutes, then remove from heat
  • add in a squeeze of lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. remove the garlic cloves and set aside

cook and skewer the shrimp:

  • soak the skewers in water for ~30 minutes, this prevents them from burning!
  • skewer the shrimp so that there’s three shrimps per skewer
  • cook the shrimp skewers on a lightly oiled grill or skillet on medium heat until cooked through, ~2 minutes per side
  • on a large plate (or plates), spread the coconut cream, then layer shrimp skewers on top. finish with a squeeze of lime juice, pickled onions, and cilantro

Notes

  • prep note: for parties, you can make the coconut sauce the day before!
  • pickled onions: to make pickled onions, i use thinly sliced red onions along with 50% hot water, 50% white vinegar, a spoonful sugar of and a pinch of salt. cover and let sit for at least 24 hours in the fridge. this recipe is closest to what i do!