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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp (Tom Rim)

[heart_this] · Jan 6, 2009 · 68 Comments

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp (Tom Rim)

It had been too long since I had last had shrimp and I was craving some. I remembered seeing a recipe for caramel shrimp a while ago when I was looking for recipes for the kabocha simmered in caramel sauce that sounded good. Apparently simmering or braising in nuoc mau (Vietnamese caramel sauce) is fairly common in Vietnamese cuisine. Generally if you want to add some sweetness to a recipe you just add some sugar but why not take the opportunity to add some flavour at the same time by using caramel instead of sugar?
I am getting better at making caramel the more I make it and this time it came together easily and without any problems. The caramel shrimp was nice and quick and easy to make and turned out great! I really enjoyed the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce on the succulent shrimp and there was just the right amount of heat. The caramel flavour in the sauce worked really well! I served the caramel shrimp on coconut jasmine rice and the rice soaked up all of the extra sauce and became super tasty. I will definitely be making this again though I think that next time I will add some lime juice for a touch of tartness.

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp (Tom Rim)

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp (Tom Rim)

Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 shallot (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)
  • 1 small chili (chopped)
  • 1 pound shrimp (peeled and deviened)
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
directions
  1. Heat the sugar and water in a large pan on medium-high heat until it caramelized and turns a dark brown.
  2. Carefully add the water and heat until the caramel dissolves. (Caution: The caramel sauce will foam up quite a bit so you need to be careful as you add the water.)
  3. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan.
  5. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and chili and saute for 3-5 minutes.
  6. Add the shrimp, 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce, fish sauce and pepper and simmer until the shrimp is pink all over, about 2-4 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil and cilantro.
Use in:
Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi

Similar Recipes:
Amaretto Shrimp
Kabocha Simmered in Caramel Sauce
Shrimp and Pineapple Teriyaki
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Spicy Orange Shrimp
Bang Bang Shrimp

Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, Recipe, Seafood, Shrimp, Vietnamese

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. EAT! says

    January 6, 2009 at 1:57 am

    What a delicious sounding dish. We love Asian cuisine – and I have never heard of a caramel sauce before. Defeinately in my “To
    Try” pile of recipes. I’ll even put it at the top.

    Reply
  2. Hayley says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:29 am

    I’ll have to make this one for my Dad, he loves shrimp. Beautiful picture!

    Reply
  3. VeggieGirl says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:31 am

    I looove caramel!! 😀

    Reply
  4. Elra says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:35 am

    Off to my kitchen, and making it now. I’m sure it will be delicious.
    Cheers,
    Elra

    Reply
  5. Dawn says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:46 am

    This is something I would definitely make and enjoy because it’s soooo different.

    Reply
  6. lalaine says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:59 am

    Can I bring myself and my pack to your home? Definitely no boring meal at your place Kevin!

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    January 6, 2009 at 3:01 am

    I had this one kevin..Isn’t it yummy and worth cooking ?

    Reply
  8. Nina Timm says

    January 6, 2009 at 3:28 am

    Aahh, another meat-free option. This looks delicious, Kevin and I will try this soon, for sure.

    Reply
  9. Manggy says

    January 6, 2009 at 3:58 am

    Ooh, I’ve never heard of this but it looks delicious! And I adore shrimp 🙂

    Reply
  10. Elra says

    January 6, 2009 at 4:16 am

    Kevin,
    Just finished our dinner, this recipe was delish! Thanks.
    Elra

    Reply
  11. MaryBeth says

    January 6, 2009 at 4:17 am

    Sounds very interesting, looks really yummy.

    Reply
  12. Sharon says

    January 6, 2009 at 4:36 am

    Ooh this looks amazing! I am going to try and make your dish this week!

    Reply
  13. Erin @ The Skinny Gourmet says

    January 6, 2009 at 4:51 am

    You never cease to amaze me. You have such a flare for Asian cuisine. Bravo!

    Reply
  14. amandalouden says

    January 6, 2009 at 5:03 am

    Gosh that looks AMAZING

    Reply
  15. Beachlover says

    January 6, 2009 at 5:06 am

    oh yes,love your shrimp dish especially cook with fish sauce and cilantro!! I also just post a similar shrimp post but wt Tom-yam:)

    Reply
  16. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    January 6, 2009 at 5:10 am

    Delicious! A beautiful and flavorful dish!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  17. mikky says

    January 6, 2009 at 7:57 am

    hi kevin, all the beautiful recipes you posted while i was gone is making me drool… happy new year!!! 🙂

    Reply
  18. noobcook says

    January 6, 2009 at 8:42 am

    I always love your shrimp dishes and this one looks really tasty and beautiful

    Reply
  19. Jan says

    January 6, 2009 at 8:55 am

    I love the caramel with the shrimp – the picture is making me want to eat that right now!

    Reply
  20. Clumbsy Cookie says

    January 6, 2009 at 9:44 am

    I never had shrimp this way, but oh boy I’ll have to try it!

    Reply
  21. Chocolate Shavings says

    January 6, 2009 at 10:25 am

    That sounds like a wonderful new way to enjoy shrimp!

    Reply
  22. HoneyB says

    January 6, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Yumm Kevin!

    Reply
  23. Peter M says

    January 6, 2009 at 11:52 am

    Sounds easy enough and the results are well, very appetizing!

    Reply
  24. Bellini Valli says

    January 6, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    You always have such appealing ideas over here Kevin. Why not add flavour!!!

    Reply
  25. Rindy R says

    January 6, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    This looks ridiculously delicious!

    Reply
  26. mycookinghut says

    January 6, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Fantastic looking!! I am sure it’s yummy.

    Reply
  27. MeetaK says

    January 6, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    I just love shrimp and rice! and always have it in the freezer for a quick meal! this is perfect1

    Reply
  28. Passionate About Baking says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Fantastic sounding kevin…I LOVE the sound of this! WOW!! have a great & delicious 2009!!

    Reply
  29. Dana McCauley says

    January 6, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Looks delectable!

    Reply
  30. Marjie says

    January 6, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    A sweet & sour touch to the shrimp. I like the notion!

    Reply
  31. Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer says

    January 6, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    I always love when you come up with things where I have just about all the ingredients in the pantry and freezer!! This looks great…..

    Reply
  32. Tartelette says

    January 6, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    Looks absolutely delicious! Definitely going in the newly created “2009 recipes to try” file!!

    Reply
  33. Maria says

    January 6, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    Looks wonderful! I can’t wait to try this caramel sauce.

    Reply
  34. Patsyk says

    January 6, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    Sounds and LOOKS delicious! The flavor combination has to be amazing!

    Reply
  35. Ingrid says

    January 6, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    Oh, man! Does it get any better? Except for my youngest we LOVE Asian flavors and shrimp!!!!! You know what else is great? Because it has “sauce” my daughter will eat the rice w/it and not complain!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe. This is one of several shrimp dishes that the kids will be gobbling up. Shrimp seems to be popular right around the blogosphere. Yay!
    ~ingrid

    Reply
  36. Pam says

    January 6, 2009 at 8:53 pm

    I love Vietnamese Caramel dishes! I’ve never tried shrimp, but I really enjoy pork.

    Reply
  37. Mike of Mike's Table says

    January 6, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    That’s a really interesting twist that never would have crossed my mind. I’ll have to try this out!

    Reply
  38. Sylvia says

    January 6, 2009 at 9:36 pm

    Sounds so good, I had a bottle of nuoc nam in the pantry, is a delicious idea
    happy 2009

    Reply
  39. Sophie says

    January 6, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    This looks very tasting!

    Reply
  40. Sophie says

    January 6, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    Caramel isn’t easy to make, I’ve had so many problems with it! I’ve never thought of combining it with shrimp, it sounds like a heavenly match!

    Reply
  41. Karen says

    January 6, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    Beautiful picture and the recipe sounds so good. Kevin, what is fish sauce? I have a recipe I’m wanting to try with red curry/shrimp and it calls for a couple tablespoons of fish sauce. It sounds just gross to me… is it a fishy taste or smell? I just can’t figure out what the ingredients might be!

    Reply
  42. Kevin says

    January 6, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    Karen: Fish sauce is a condiment commonly found in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine that is made from fermented fish. It does not sound good but it does not have a fishy smell or taste and it is quite nice. It is salty and it seems to be used in a way that is similar to soy sauce. Here is the wikipedia link: fish sauce

    Reply
  43. Anonymous says

    January 7, 2009 at 12:19 am

    Wow! I love this!

    Reply
  44. elly says

    January 7, 2009 at 1:49 am

    This sounds so different and delicious!

    Reply
  45. Mrs Ergül says

    January 7, 2009 at 2:53 am

    I still have leftover caramel from the Nov Daring Bakers Challenge, maybe I will take a shortcut and go that way instead!

    Reply
  46. Soma says

    January 7, 2009 at 3:01 am

    Thats a great recipe. I love shrimp & love what u have used here. except i am wondering what I can use instead of fish sauce.. Not very fond of it.

    Reply
  47. Lorraine E says

    January 7, 2009 at 3:08 am

    Looks great, I’ve tried caramelised pork but never shrimp!

    Reply
  48. Kevin says

    January 7, 2009 at 3:21 am

    Soma: I would think that soy sauce would work.

    Reply
  49. Sally Kate says

    January 7, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2007/04/slanted-doors-caramel-chicken.html

    You must try this… it is a favorite. I cannot wait to try yuor shrimp!

    Reply
  50. Karen says

    January 7, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    Kevin, thanks for the info about the fish sauce! It does just sound awful to me, but I’ll give it a try so I can make the recipe as given.

    Reply
  51. tigerfish says

    January 7, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    Caramel? So it is a sweet dish?

    Reply
  52. Jude says

    January 8, 2009 at 9:11 am

    This stuff sounds weird but delicious when done right 🙂

    Reply
  53. Dragon says

    January 8, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Looks great! I agree that some lime would make this even better.

    Reply
  54. Kevin says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:53 am

    tigerfish: Yep, sweet and salty and spicy.

    Reply
  55. Jennie says

    January 12, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious!
    Yummy!

    // Jennie, a swedish food-blogger.

    Reply
  56. Jeanne says

    January 12, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Now that’s a fascinating idea – on paper I woudl never have thought it would work, but with your pic and description the flavours make perfect sense 🙂

    Reply
  57. Jaime says

    January 18, 2009 at 12:40 am

    hmmmm i am vietnamese and i’m not sure i have had this before. it looks delicious though

    Reply
  58. foodrambler says

    February 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    That sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  59. Jennette says

    February 16, 2009 at 1:17 am

    I made this for dinner tonight with coconut rice, as you suggested. Delicious! We used this rice recipe:http://thaifood.about.com/od/quickeasythairecipes/r/coconutricecook.htm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  60. ~~louise~~ says

    March 23, 2009 at 9:35 pm

    Hi Kevin,
    I’m attempting a post for National Sauce Month which is celebrated in March and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I “borrow” your link for Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp, which sounds especially delightful at this very moment. It should be up by tomorrow (24th) so if there is a problem, please let me know.

    P.S. I should confess, I’ve been a “lurker” for a while now. I actually found this recipe because you have been in my search engine for some time now.

    Thanks so much, Louise

    Reply
  61. FoodFreak says

    May 14, 2009 at 7:19 pm

    Just had this for dinner. SO delicious and simple. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  62. Anonymous says

    November 24, 2009 at 5:43 am

    I love it! Very creative!That's actually really cool.
    謝謝你的文章分享,請你有空到我
    馬城界隨意部落格
    參觀,Thanks

    Reply
  63. Tri says

    January 19, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    It's a bit funny that I don't see any Vietnamese around here, though. Anyhow, good job Kevin; it tastes as good as it does at home to me =)

    Reply
  64. Anonymous says

    May 1, 2010 at 3:12 am

    I made this delicious recipe for dinner tonight. We added cabbage, spring onions and peas.

    It was delicious…

    Reply
  65. Anonymous says

    July 29, 2010 at 6:33 pm

    In the Caribbean, a similar caramelized sugar method is used to make meat and rice dishes…will have to try this shrimp…looks scrumptious

    Reply
  66. Anonymous says

    January 22, 2011 at 12:16 am

    I made this! It was terrific.

    Reply
  67. Bukko Canukko says

    January 4, 2012 at 7:41 am

    Hi Kevin – we tried this tonight. Sounds so delicious.. but it was way too salty – maybe 2 Tbls of fish sauce is too much??

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. New Year's Recipes for Weight Loss & Healthy Living - Cookin Canuck says:
    March 29, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    […] Fish & Shellfish Cookin’ Canuck’s Seared Salmon with Baby Bok Choy & Miso SauceCookin’ Canuck’s Broiled Salmon with Garlic & Mint SauceDelish’s Chinese Style TilapiaBitten’s Shrimp in Moroccan-Style Tomato SauceCloset Cooking’s Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp (Tom Rim) […]

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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