Andrew Zimmern's Tôm Rim Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Shrimp Is a Perfect 15-Minute Meal

In The Blue Food Cookbook, chef Andrew Zimmern and sustainable seafood expert Barton Seaver show how building relationships with local fishmongers can change not just how you eat, but how your food choices impact the planet. By embracing lesser-known fish and shellfish, you can eat more nutritiously, discover new flavors, and help protect ocean ecosystems for the future.

Excerpted from The Blue Food Cookbook, provided courtesy of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2025 by Fed By Blue. Reprinted by permission.

I will gladly bang the same drum as I have throughout this book. 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 thịt 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.

I typically marinate the shrimp before I leave the house, and when I come back from work, I can get dinner on the table in a snap. This is also a good gateway dish for family members who may not know about the glories of fish sauce. It will convert them from the merely curious to the addicted. —Andrew Zimmern

Related: This Simple Seafood Shift Could Shrink Your Carbon Footprint, According to Andrew Zimmern

How to Make Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Shrimp (Tôm Rim)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh shrimp, head-on
• 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, very thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
• 3 whole hot-dried chiles
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 5 to 6 tbsp toasted rapeseed oil
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
• Cooked rice

Directions

1. Prep. 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.
2. Marinate. 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.
3. Cook. 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.