Soy Sauce Shrimp

If you love eating shrimp this is the recipe for you! Super easy and quick to make it’s a great dish for any night of the week. The saltiness of the soy sauce and slight sweetness from the brown sugar compliments the delicate meat of the shrimp without overpowering it.

My husband really loves this dish and it’s something really manageable to whip up when you’re feeling tired after a long day and need some quick protein to go with some nice hot rice! Now I know some of you might be thinking…hmm…that’s a lot of shell and eww the heads are still attached on the shrimp! I use to think that way about shrimp too…given the convenience of frozen, deveined, headless, and shelless shrimp…but TRUST ME you are really missing out if you haven’t tried whole shrimp.

The whole secret to the success of this dish is WHOLE SHRIMP so please don’t skip out on it! The amount of flavor you get from whole shrimp is a thousand times better because of all the shrimpy flavor from the shell and head fat. You can find whole shrimp from the seafood counter of any grocery store or you can also buy the frozen packs.

The only extra work you will need to do is devein the shrimp yourself and a great trick I learned is to use a toothpick! Yes, all you need to do is poke your toothpick just in the mid back of the shrimp a few millimeters from the top and gently pull up and out. Ta da! The poop shoot should come straight out like a piece of thread.

Leaving the shell on also helps keep the flesh of the shrimp firm and not overcooked and rubbery. Feel free to get your fingers dirty when peeling the shells if you can’t do it with just your mouth and chopsticks like me. This dish is really finger lickin good and the sauce goes great over a bowl of white rice. You’ll be amazed by the flavors with such few ingredients. Try it out you won’t be disappointed!

Soy Sauce Shrimp

Prep time: 10 min     
Cook time: 5 h    
Total time: 15 min    
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp (shell and head on)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 green onion chopped

Instructions

1. Wash and remove the vein from the shrimp and allow them to drip dry in a colander. Leave the shell and head intact.
2. Heat a wok to high heat and add the oil. Quickly put in the shrimp and sprinkle over the salt.
3. Cook the shrimp on high heat for 3 min. You want to roast the shrimp slightly so don’t stir them too much.
4. Next add in the Shaoxing cooking wine, brown sugar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Cook for another 2 min.
5. Turn off the heat and add in the chopped green onions. Enjoy hot!