Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Seafood
- 500 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
- 3 g fine sea salt, dry
- 1 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Aromatics and Sauce
- 15 ml avocado oil, liquid
- 60 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 4 garlic, finely minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, finely diced
- 30 g sambal oelek, paste
- 30 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 15 g cilantro, washed, dried, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 258 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbohydrates
- 3 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 444 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Potassium
- 404 mg
- Calcium
- 98 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 48 mg
- Phosphorus
- 284 mg
- Zinc
- 1.8 mg
- Water
- 121 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Thoroughly pat the 500g raw peeled shrimp dry with clean paper towels on all sides, immediately discarding the towels and washing your hands with warm soapy water to prevent cross-contamination.
Season the dried shrimp evenly with 3g fine sea salt and 1g freshly cracked black pepper.
Preheat a large stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat at 190°C (375°F), then pour in 15ml avocado oil, swirling the skillet until the oil is shimmering and thinly coats the base.
Place the shrimp in the skillet in a single, uncrowded layer using tongs and sear undisturbed for 90 seconds.
Turn each shrimp over with tongs and sear the second side for 60 seconds until the flesh is pearly white and opaque throughout, verifying an internal temperature of at least 63°C (145°F) with a digital instant-read thermometer.
Transfer the cooked shrimp immediately onto a clean plate to halt the cooking process.
Lower the skillet heat to medium at 150°C (300°F), add 20g minced garlic and 30g diced jalapeño to the residual oil, and sauté for 45 seconds while stirring constantly with a silicone spatula.
Stir 30g sambal oelek into the aromatics and cook for 30 seconds to release its aromatic oils and concentrate the chili paste.
Remove the skillet completely from the heat source and immediately add 60g cold cubed unsalted butter, swirling and stirring vigorously with the spatula until the butter melts into a glossy, cohesive emulsion.
Pour 30ml freshly squeezed lime juice directly into the warm emulsified butter and stir until smooth.
Return the cooked shrimp and any rested juices that accumulated on the plate back into the skillet, tossing gently for 30 seconds until each shrimp is thoroughly coated in the warm sauce.
Garnish the shrimp with 15g finely chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Mounting the sauce off the heat with refrigerator-cold butter (a classic French technique known as monter au beurre) is crucial for binding the chili paste and lime juice into a rich glaze.
- Sambal oelek delivers raw, fermented chili pungency without extra sugar or starches, allowing the natural sweet ocean flavors of the shrimp to shine.
- Watch the shape of the shrimp during cooking: a gentle C curve signifies optimal tenderness, while a tightly coiled O shape warns of overcooked, rubbery seafood.
- Tender cilantro stems contain higher concentrations of aromatic essential oils than the leaves alone; mince them finely alongside the leaves for vibrant herbal aromatics.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Cool promptly and store in an airtight glass container at 4°C (40°F) or lower within 2 hours of cooking.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a small skillet over low heat, stirring constantly until the shrimp reaches an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) throughout.
Troubleshooting
The garlic and sambal scorch and turn bitter brown within seconds of hitting the pan.
Cause: The skillet was retained at searing temperature rather than cooled before adding delicate aromatics.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once burned. Discard the scorched aromatics, wipe the skillet clean, and restart sauce preparation from step 7.
Prevention: Allow the pan to drop to medium heat at 150°C (300°F) or briefly lift the pan off the burner before introducing minced garlic.
The sauce splits into liquid puddle and separated yellow oil rather than forming a velvety coat.
Cause: The pan was too hot when the butter was added, boiling off moisture and breaking the butter emulsion.
Fix: Whisk in 10ml of ice water or cold lime juice off the heat vigorously to pull the emulsion back together.
Prevention: Ensure the pan is completely removed from direct heat and use cold, cubed butter straight from the refrigerator.
Shrimp becomes rubbery, tough, and curls into tight, closed rings.
Cause: Overcooking beyond the safe minimum internal temperature of 63°C (145°F).
Fix: Cannot be fixed texturally; toss immediately in the generous butter sauce to mask surface dryness.
Prevention: Monitor searing closely and remove the shrimp as soon as they reach a gentle C-shape and register 63°C (145°F).
Cultural Context
This recipe blends the tradition of Southeast Asian seafood hawker stalls with Western skillet butter basting. Indonesian sambals have been central to the Maritime Southeast Asian spice trade for centuries, frequently paired with freshly caught crustaceans. Integrating sharp fresh jalapeño and lime juice bridges classic Indonesian sambal with Pan-Pacific coastal seafood preparations.
