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Easy shrimp stir fry recipe, perfect for a weeknight dinner or special occasion. This seafood meal has a quick preparation, plenty of rich sauce and it’s made from scratch.
This stir fry shrimp only takes 20 minutes to make but to save some time, feel free to prep the veggies and/or the side in advance.
Easily customizable recipe!
This post includes useful tips including serving ideas, possible variations of the stir fry recipe as well as info on how to thaw frozen shrimp.
How to make stir fry with shrimp?
Because stir frying is a quick way of preparing food, it’s good to have all the ingredients on hand before you start cooking.
First, marinate shrimp. Choose what side dish you want to serve with this dinner and calculate how much time you will need to make it. It should be ready before or at the same time as your shrimp stir fry.
Then, prep all the veggies you will be using.
When you have done all of the prep, you can start cooking. I go with veggies first and start with the ones that take the longest to prepare, then add the rest. Cook them to bite and transfer to a plate, cook shrimp, add marinade and finally put back the veggies.
What are best sides for shrimp stir-fry?
Rice – any kind you prefer. We like coconut rice, but fried rice or just plain cooked one will work great as well!
Noodles – any Asian-kind works great.
If you double, triple the quantity of vegetables, you can enjoy shrimp stir fry straight up!
What shrimp to use?
Use either fresh or frozen (thawed). Once defrosted, make sure to drain any excess liquid.
You can buy shrimp/prawn with or without shell.
Shrimp must be shelled and cleaned. You will need to devein each piece if it has not been done. The black “veins” are digestive tracts full of sand and other pieces. If you don’t want to taste sand in your shrimp stir fry, you will have to get rid of the veins.
How to defrost shrimp?
Leave shrimp in its original packaging and place it in a large bowl of cold water. It may take as little as 20-30 minutes to thaw, depending on how it is packaged.
Alternatively, you can fill a sink with cold water and place the packaged shrimp in. If it floats, weigh it down with a heavy bowl so it is submerged.
You can also transfer frozen shrimp to a Ziploc bag and use one of the previously mentioned options for thawing.
Possible substitutions/variations:
- Broccoli florets or broccolini
- Spring onions
- Sugar snap peas
- Fresh chili pepper (to your taste)
- Asparagus
Pro tips for making stir fry:
Don’t over-cook shrimp. It only takes minutes to cook!
Use a wok or large frying pan. If you have a small pan, work in batches to achieve the best results.
If you add too many ingredients to your pan, they will not stir-fry, they will steam, which is not what we are after.
Sesame oil is great for all kinds of stir-fry recipes, but if you don’t have it on hand, use avocado or cooking olive oil instead.
Make sure to cook on high heat while stirring the veggies and shrimp regularly.
The vegetables should have some bite to them, they should not be too soft. That being said, you can cook them to your preferred doneness.
More Asian-inspired recipes you might like to try:
Some more seafood recipe ideas:
Shrimp Stir Fry
Easy shrimp stir fry recipe, perfect for a weeknight dinner or special occasion. This seafood meal has a quick preparation, plenty of rich sauce and it’s made from scratch.
For shrimp stir fry:
- ½ red bell pepper , large, see note 3
- 3 romano beans
- 1 carrot , large
- ¼ cup edamame beans , cooked, see note 4
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup water
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For marinade: In a bowl, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, ground ginger and shrimp. Give everything a good mix and set aside.
For stir fry: Thinly slice the pepper and romano beans. With a vegetable peeler, shave the carrot.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or your largest frying pan (preferably 12-inch/30-centimeter wide).
Throw in red pepper and romano beans. Stir fry on high heat for about 3 minutes before adding shaved carrot and edamame beans. Stir fry for a further minute. Transfer the veggies onto a plate.
Pour the remaining oil in the wok/pan. Pick the shrimp and place it in the pan (save the liquid for later). Stir fry until the shrimp is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
When ready, add the saved liquid and ½ cup of water. Deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining water and stir. Once you see the sauce thickened, cook it for a further minute, then add the veggies back in and turn off heat.
Serve with noodles or rice or anything you like.
- I am not using any salt in this recipe as the soy sauce adds enough flavor to the sauce and shrimp. If you use low-sodium soy sauce, you will need to add more salt.
- The weight is for shelled shrimp. If you want to use whole shrimp and shell it at home yourself, you will need to increase the quantity.
- I used very large bell pepper. If you have a medium-sized one, feel free to use it all.
- 1 cup frozen whole edamame beans will yield about ¼ cup of cooked and shelled beans. You can increase up to ½ cup of cooked edamame beans if you like.
- This recipe can feed 2-3 people.
- This recipe can be easily doubled but you will need to work in batches to avoid over-filling your pan/wok. By adding too many veggies at once you will steam them instead of stir-frying them.
- Avocado oil can be substituted with olive oil.
- We love serving shrimp stir fry with rice noodles but you can use your favorite noodles or rice instead.
- If you feel that your sauce is too runny to your liking, thicken it with a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch dissolved in water).
Nutrition Facts
Shrimp Stir Fry
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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