Shrimp Stir-Fry
Shrimp seared fast in a smoking-hot wok with garlic, ginger, snap peas, and bell peppers, finished with a splash of soy sauce. Speed is everything — two minutes too long and the shrimp turn rubbery.
Ingredients
- 60 mlreduced-salt soy sauce
- 1 tbspcornstarch
- 1 tbspfresh garlic
- 1 tbspfresh ginger
- 1/4 tspred pepper flakes
- 1 tbspavocado oil
- 900 glarge shrimps, peeled and cleaned
- 450 gfrozen or fresh vegetables for stir-frying
- for servingsesame oil and sesame seeds
Method
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Whisk well and set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil in a wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and vegetables and stir-fry until the vegetables are soft and the shrimp are cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir the sauce once more, then add it to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to individual plates. Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
FAQ
Shrimp stir-fry demands maximum heat and minimum time. Use a screaming hot wok or cast iron pan at the highest temperature. Shrimp (21/25 count) cook 1–2 minutes per side — as soon as they curl into a C-shape and turn pink, they are done. Overcooked shrimp (curled into an O-shape) are already rubbery. Remove them from the wok first, then add back only at the very end.
A watery stir-fry results from too low a temperature or an overcrowded wok. Cook in batches. Order: heat the wok → oil → aromatics (garlic, ginger, 15–30 sec) → hard vegetables → soft vegetables → shrimp → sauce → cornstarch slurry to thicken. Pat vegetables dry beforehand — moisture is the main enemy of a crispy stir-fry.
Seafood: sea scallops, squid rings, or cubed white fish. Meat: chicken breast strips (3–4 min), thin beef slices cut across the grain (2–3 min), or tofu cubes (pan-fry separately first). Cooking times vary — watch for doneness. Lean beef benefits from a soy sauce and cornstarch marinade (velveting) for tenderness.
Basic sauce: 2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp oyster sauce + 1 tsp sesame oil + 1 tsp cornstarch + a pinch of sugar and water. Spicy version: add chili paste or hoisin sauce. Cantonese style: oyster sauce + ginger + green onion. Sichuan style: chili oil + Sichuan peppercorn + soy sauce.
Yes, but thaw completely and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Extra trick: salt the thawed shrimp for 10 minutes, then rinse and dry — salt draws out excess moisture. Never put frozen or wet shrimp directly into a hot wok — water evaporation will drop the temperature sharply and ruin the texture.
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Comments (1)
The residual heat continues cooking the reduced-salt soy sauce for 2-3 minutes after you remove it from the pan. I pull my shrimp stir-fry when it looks slightly underdone in the center — it finishes perfectly on the plate.