Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Shrimp (Tom Rim)

February 16, 2026

Jill Melton

“Great food is all about contrasts. Here it’s sticky sweet/ salty, crunchy/soft, sweet/bitter, hot/room temp . . . it’s what makes this dish so delicious. The fish sauce caramel vibe is based on a variation of a true Vietnamese caramel sauce/technique called thit kho. In that recipe you make a caramel, add lots of sliced shallots, black pepper, and fish sauce, and simmer until syrupy and without sugar lumps. It’s a Viet master sauce, and I love the flavors.” – Andrew Zimmern

Recipes excerpted from THE BLUE FOOD COOKBOOK, provided courtesy of Harvest, an imprint
of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2025 by Fed By Blue. Photography by Eric Wolfinger. Reprinted by permission.

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh shrimp, head-on

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 shallots, very thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder

3 whole hot dried chiles

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

5-6 tablespoons toasted rapeseed oil (caiziyou in Chinese)

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

Cooked rice

Preparation

Serves 4-6

Cut off the top 3/4 inch of the shrimp heads using scissors (the sharp bony part). Cut off the legs and remove
the tail shell by jiggling the tail feathers until they release. Remove the rest of the shell. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the shrimp along the back side and remove the vein.
Place the shrimp in a bowl and add the garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, sugar, bouillon powder, chiles, and soy sauce and toss to combine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Heat the oil in a wok set over high heat. When the oil is beginning to smoke, swirl it around and add the shrimp, pouring from the bowl into the wok all at once. DO NOT STIR. Use a rubber spatula to get all the contents of the bowl into the wok and spread the shrimp up the sides of the wok. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the sugar is caramelized and thickened. Toss the contents of the wok and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the scallions and cook for another minute, tossing well. Serve with plenty of hot rice.