I recently took a trip down to Orange County to promote my Dear Mam Fish Sauce, and every time I go, I am reminded that Westminster/Little Saigon has some of the best Vietnamese food in the entire world. Everywhere you turn, there are so many different Vietnamese restaurants on every block. The competition is fierce, which means these restaurants have to put out incredible food if they want to survive. Now, one of my favorite spots in the area is OC and Lau, a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in seafood and hot pot. The food there is authentic and so good. One of the dishes that completely blew me away was their tom nuong muoi ot do, or grilled shrimp skewers with red pepper salt sauce. The sauce was bright, tangy, slightly sweet, spicy, and absolutely addictive, which just took the smoked grilled shrimp to a whole other level; So I knew I had to recreate it at home!
If you have ever had Vietnamese seafood in Nha Trang, chances are you have seen muối ớt xanh, the green pepper salt sauce that is a staple dipping sauce throughout Vietnam. Muối ớt đỏ is its close cousin. Instead of green peppers and lime, the flavor is built on red peppers and kumquats. Both sauces share that perfect balance of salty, spicy, sour, and sweet flavors, but the choice of peppers and citrus gives each one its own unique personality.
For my version, I use a combination of red bell pepper and Thai chili. The bell pepper creates a slightly sweet and vibrant base for the sauce, while the Thai chili adds the heat. In Vietnam, I’ve also seen Fresno chilies, or goat horn chilies, used, but I wanted to keep my recipe more accessible, and red bell peppers make for the perfect base. For the citrus, I love using the juice of kumquats. They are fragrant, bright, and slightly bitter in a way that balances the sauce beautifully. If kumquats are not available where you live, fresh orange juice or calamansi make excellent substitutes.
One of the most distinctive features of this sauce is the condensed milk. At first, it may sound a bit odd, as most people associate condensed milk with desserts or Vietnamese coffee. However, this sauce adds a layer of creaminess that softens the sharp edges of the chili and citrus, while giving the sauce a rich body. That sweet milky note also plays beautifully with the smoky flavor of grilled seafood. It is an unexpected ingredient, but it is exactly what makes muoi ot do stand out.
At OC and Lau, they serve the shrimp whole with the head and shell intact. It is the traditional Vietnamese way of enjoying shrimp, as the shell locks in flavor, and the head contains some of the best bites. To prep them this way, all you need to do is devein the shrimp. My go-to method is using a toothpick or skewer. Simply pierce between the fourth and fifth abdominal segments, hook under the vein, and lift it out.
Now, if you are like my girlfriend Hanna and don’t love dealing with shrimp shells while eating, you can absolutely peel the shrimp first, leaving the heads on for presentation and flavor. Either way works. It just comes down to personal preference! Also, protip! Soak your bamboo skewers in water while preparing the shrimp and sauce. This will ensure that you don’t burn the skewers too quickly when you grill the shrimp later.
This post is part of a collaboration with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). All opinions…
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