Garlic Soy Shrimp

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin (or 1 tsp rice vinegar + 1 tsp sugar) (I used balsamic vinegar and sugar)
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a skillet or wok over high heat until smoking.
2. Add shrimp in a single layer. Sear 1–2 minutes per side until pink and lightly charred.
3. Add 4–5 cloves of minced garlic. Stir for 15 seconds until fragrant.
4. Pour in the sauce. Toss to coat, about 30 seconds.
5. Finish with sliced scallions and a squeeze of lime if you like.

Serve over: steamed rice or toss with noodles. I served over steamed jasmine rice.

Notes

little too soy sauce salty. Need more vinegar (i used balsamic) and sugar and sesame oil. i used i think 250g shrimp.

Nutrition

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3. Honey Sesame Shrimp

Coating:

• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• Pinch of salt and white pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, grated

Garnish:

• 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
• Sliced scallions

Cook:

1. Mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Toss shrimp in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated. Shake off excess.
3. Heat 2–3 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high. Pan-fry shrimp 1.5–2 minutes per side until golden and crispy.
4. Drain most of the oil. Pour in the sauce and toss quickly — about 20 seconds, just enough to glaze.
5. Top with sesame seeds and scallions immediately.

Serve over: rice, or honestly just eat them straight — they’re dangerously snackable.

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4. Spicy Honey Doubanjiang Shrimp (The Combo)

This one merges the heat of doubanjiang with honey sweetness and sesame nuttiness. It’s the best of all the above.

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp doubanjiang
• 1.5 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Aromatics:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, grated

Garnish:

• Toasted sesame seeds
• Sliced scallions
• Optional: crushed red pepper flakes or Sichuan peppercorn powder

Cook:

1. Mix honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add doubanjiang and stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant and oil is red.
3. Add garlic and ginger, stir 10 seconds.
4. Crank to high. Add shrimp, sear 1–2 minutes per side.
5. Pour in the honey-soy mixture. Toss until the sauce reduces to a sticky glaze, about 30–45 seconds.
6. Top with sesame seeds and scallions.

Serve over: rice, or alongside some quick-pickled cucumbers (smash cucumbers, toss with rice vinegar, soy, sesame oil, chili flakes — 10 min).

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Tips

• Dry your shrimp. Seriously. Paper towels. Both sides. Wet shrimp steam instead of sear.
• Don’t overcook. Shrimp go from perfect to rubbery in about 30 seconds. Pull them when they’re just pink and curled into a loose C shape. If they’re a tight O, they’re overdone.
• Shell-on option: For recipes 1 and 2, shell-on shrimp (deveined, shell split down the back) give better flavor and texture. Messy to eat, but worth it.
• Doubanjiang brands matter. Pixian doubanjiang (pixian in Chinese: 郫县豆瓣酱) is the gold standard — fermented, deep, complex. Lee Kum Kee works in a pinch but it’s saltier and less nuanced.