bon appetit Bibb Lettuce Wrap with Sambal Shrimp

Which bon appetit Bibb Lettuce Wraps with Sambal Shrimp 🦐 picture do you like the most?

And what the heck is Sambal Shrimp? Thanks for asking. That’s a very good question.

Sambal is a spicy paste like a chili paste common in Indonesian cooking.




Ingredients:

1/2 cup hot chili paste like the Sambal Oelek above.
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Sea salt, to taste
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 small cucumber, cut into rounds
2 heads of Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, covered, chilled
1/2 cup mint sprigs
1/2 cup crushed salted dry-roasted peanuts

Directions:

Whisk the chili paste, honey, rice vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a small bowl to combine. Season the shrimp with the sea salt and place them in a food storage bag. Pour 1/2 of the chili paste mixture over the shrimp and seal the bag. Leave the rest of the mixture (marinade) in the bowl for later use. Let the shrimp sit at room temperature and rotate the bag occasionally for even coating, 10-15 minutes.

Remove shrimp, shake off excess and set on a paper towel. In a large skillet heat your vegetable oil on med/high heat until simmering. Transfer shrimp to skillet in a single layer and leave for 2 minutes before turning. The marinade will darken the shrimps color and some of the sugars will caramelize. Add more oil if pan becomes dry. Turn over for 30 seconds then transfer to a platter.

Arrange the cucumbers on the platter next to the shrimp, season them with sea salt and drizzle the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Also arrange the Bibb lettuce on the platter, as well as the mint sprigs. In a small bowl next to the platter have the crushed peanuts along with the bowl of marinade (for spooning into the wraps). Yum Yum!