Name: Tôm luộc bia • Vietnamese beer-boiled shrimp
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 kg raw shrimp (head u0026 shell on); 2 stalks lemongrass; 50 g fresh ginger; 5 lime leaves; 1 tbsp coarse salt; 500 ml lager beer (e.g. Heineken); Fine salt; Ground black pepper; 1 lime

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Mai

Large white plate on a white & gray marble background. The plate contains 12 cooked shrimp arranged in a circle, with pieces of lemongrass, sliced ginger, sliced lime, and lime leaves on top.

Fun fact: I cannot drink lager beer without thinking about shrimp because my first ever taste of beer was eating this dish as a kid.

If you want a super easy and delicious appetizer or dinner idea, this is the recipe for you. These lemongrass and ginger beer-boiled shrimps take less than 15 minutes to prepare and they are so good!

Some people steam the shrimps with beer, but my family prefers cooking the shrimps directly in the beer because we think the flavors are stronger this way. The flavors of the lager, lemongrass, and ginger soak into the shrimps beautifully- giving them a wonderful unique taste.

While we’re calling it a “boil”, this recipe uses just enough beer to barely cover the shrimps- unlike the full-pot Cajun style boils you might be imagining. Think of it as half way between boiling and steaming!

Oh and of course, they go perfectly with a glass of ice cold beer!

INGREDIENTS FOR TÔM LUỘC BIA

Shrimp – Tôm: if you have access to fresh shrimp, of course that will ensure the best quality. Otherwise, head-on shell-on frozen shrimp will work fine. I like them around size 16/20.
Lager beer – Bia lager: you don’t need to buy the most expensive beer, but do choose something you’d be willing to drink- as it will of course impact the taste of your shrimp.
Lemongrass – Sả
Ginger – Gừng
Lime leaves – Lá chanh
Coarse salt – Muối hạt
Fine salt – Muối tinh
Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
Lime – Chanh

DIRECTIONS FOR TÔM LUỘC BIA

Defrost (if needed) and rinse shrimp well.
Optional: insert a wooden skewer or tooth pick along the back of a shrimp and pull gently to remove the vein.
Smash lemongrass stalks with the back or flat side of your knife or a hammer to release flavors, then cut into ~5-7cm lengths.
Rinse ginger, cut into slices, smash with the flat side or handle of your knife.
Add shrimp to a pot
NOTE: If you have a large enough pot to arrange shrimps in a single layer, they will cook more evenly.
Scatter coarse salt, lemongrass, ginger slices, and lime leaves across the top of the shrimps.
Pour in enough beer to barely cover the shrimp.
Cover and turn on the stove to medium high.
Cook shrimps until bottom side turns red, flip, and cook until other side is also red- about 8-10 minutes total. Do not over cook as shrimps will become tough and lose flavor.
Remove shrimp from pot to a large plate.
Mix together some fine sea salt and ground pepper to your liking. Add a squeeze of lime to make the dipping mix.