Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry is an explosion of flavors that captivate your taste buds. This easy recipe showcases the art of balance, harmonizing fiery spices with the natural sweetness of shrimp.
Contents
Spiciness
The great thing about this versatile dish is it can be as spicy as you want it. If you don’t like spicy at all, omit the chili flakes and chili de arbol completely. If you like your food to be so hot a fire engine is standing by, then by all means, add more chili flakes or use hotter chilis like cayenne or habanero.
Preparation
The prep for this is actually pretty simple but necessary. For ingredients to cook quickly for stir-fry, they need to be all about the same size. Carrots are part of this dish, so they need to be about 1/4-inch wide. If you have thin carrots, you can do this by hand; otherwise, with larger carrots, a mandoline is recommended.
For the shrimp, be sure and remove the shells and tail. Devein your shrimp if it has not already been deveined. Take a knife and cut along the outside of the shrimp. You may find black or green sand inside. It’s the shrimp’s intestinal tract, and the shrimp’s poop needs to be removed before it’s cooked. Most shrimp are already deveined, but it’s still a good idea to check. Some people, like me, are allergic to the sand vein.
How to Stir-Fry
Do you really need a *wok to make this? Yes. You can use a stainless steel wok, but a *carbon steel wok has less chance of sticking. I also recommend a wok spatula. Wok spatulas have a rounded bottom to fit the shape of the wok.
When you saute in a saute pan, you move the food around, but it stays basically in the same layer. When you use a wok, you chow, which means not only stirring the food but also flipping it as you go. Use a wok spatula so the food does not fall out when you are flipping it.
Woks are shaped the way they are so that they can be used on very high heat and have a cooler area where the food will cook but not burn, similar to the indirect heating area of a g ll. Move the ingredients that take the longest to cook until they are fork-tender, then move up to the sides of the wok. Cook the next ingredient in the bottom of the wok where there is more heat.
When you stir fry, you have to move the food around quickly with a spa la. Turn and flip the food so that it cooks on all s des. If something needs to get a little softer, you can turn the heat down and put the top of the wok on so that steam can do the work.
Always make sure you have enough oil in your ok. Two tablespoons of flavorless oil should be fine for a medium-sized ok. If your wok is larger, add more il. You can also add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil for more flavor.
What to Serve with Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry
This shrimp stir-fry is great over Asian Noodles with Brocolli. If you have other vegetables or even protein, they are welcome to the party.
Asian Noodles with Broccoli – Delicious Hot or Cold
Same-Day Fried Rice is a favorite in our house. Make it as a side dish. Again, other vegetables or leftover protein would be a great addition. Serve the fried rice in a separate bowl.
Same-Day Fried Rice
If you want more vegetables, then spicy, hot Szechuan Green Beans would be a fantastic accompaniment.
Szechuan Green Beans
Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry Recipe
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Spicy Shrimp Stir-fry
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Ingredients
~~ — Marinade — ~~
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, paste or grated fresh
- ¾ teaspoon Chili flakes
- 2 ounces Honey
- 2 ounces Soy sauce
- ½ pound Shrimp, deveined and tails removed
~~ — Sauce — ~~
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, paste or grated fresh
- ¼ teaspoon Chili flakes
- 2 ounce Honey
- 2 ounce Soy sauce
~~ — For the Stir Fry — ~~
- 1 teaspoon Peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- ½ cup Carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup Onion, cut into strips
- ½ cup Bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 cup Broccoli Florets
- 8 oz Water chestnuts, canned and drained
- 4 Chili de Arbol, broken in half
~~ — Garnish — ~~
- ¼ cup Scallion, cut on the diagonal
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mise en Place
Make the marinade
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, 3/4 teaspoon Chili flakes, 2 ounces Honey, 2 ounces Soy saucePut all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
- 1/2 pound ShrimpPut the cleaned shrimp in the bowl and marinate, refrigerated, for 15 to 30 minutes.
Make the sauce
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, 1/4 teaspoon Chili flakes, 2 ounce Honey, 2 ounce Soy saucePut all the ingredients for the sauce into a small pot. Simmer the sauce and let it thinken. Set the sauce aside and keep it warm.
Prep the vegetables
- If your carrots are no larger than pencils, use a knife cut them in half horizontally. Take each half and slice it half vertically, then slice each of those slices vertically in half again. Otherwise, cut the carrots into matchstick size using a mandoline. It is important they are very thin to ensure quick cooking. The peppers should be cut into 1/4 inch / .635 cm strips, and the onions should be cut in half and then in eights. Broccoli florets should be no larger than 3/4 inches / 1.905 cm. Stems are fine and cut into discs 1/4 inch / .635 cm thick. Break the chili de arbol into pieces and set them aside in a small bowl.
Make the shrimp
- Remove the shrimp from the marinade and pat them dry. Throw the marinade away as it cannot be used.
- 1 teaspoon Peanut oil, 1 teaspoon Sesame OilHeat a wok and put in the peanut and sesame oils.
- 1/2 cup CarrotsAdd the carrots first and chow them for a few minutes.
- 1 cup Onion, 1/2 cup Bell pepperAdd the onion and bell pepper. Chow.
- 1 cup Broccoli Florets, 8 oz Water chestnutsWhen the carrots have softened, add the broccoli florets and the water chestnuts. Chow until the broccoli has softened.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the wok and add the shrimp.
- Chow the shrimp until they are cooked. Shrimp are cooked when they have turned pink, curled up, and reached 145 °F (63 °C).
- Pour the reserved sauce into the pan.
- 4 Chili de ArbolAdd the chili de arbol.
- Toss the vegetables and shrimp so they all get sauced.
- 1/4 cup Scallion, 1 tablespoon Sesame seedsGarnish with sliced scallions then sprinkle the sesame seeds over all.
- Serve over noodles or with Same-Day Fried Rice.
