Hello!
Welcome to my weekly recipe / food post!
Today I’m going to go over a shrimp stir fry that I have experimented with two times now. The second time was definitely better than the first, so I’m hoping it just keeps getting more yummy!
Before I begin I’d like to start with some insight into my food budgeting and preperation methods. I haven’t picked a cute name yet, so for now I’ll call it…
Weekly Food Budget Blip
Yes… a blip.
Anyway, so shrimp, for my family is a premium item. I rarely buy seafood because it is so expensive. For my new years goals I told myself that I would try to experiment with new foods and recipes, so, my first attempt was shrimp. I purchased a bag of frozen shrimp from our big box store and omitted a package of one of the other proteins that I normally buy. In this case it was hot sausages, which I was able to pick up a smaller package for less in a regular grocery store so I could make a different recipe (which may be featured one day!) but still try something new.
Also! I chopped up some onions and bell peppers in this recipe and saved a portion which I will save and use in a different recipe later. This helps me to use my fresh produce without waste and also get these items on sale in larger numbers and preserve them for a longer time.
Freezing them pre-chopped makes it super easy to do things like spaghetti sauce, stir fry, soups, and crock pot recipes.
Onward!
Recipe Time
Ingredients:
Shrimp (I’m not sure how much… fail)
1 Medium Sized White Onion
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/3 Green Bell Pepper *
3-4 Cloves Garlic
Jasmine Rice
Jalapenos **
Seasonings:
Soy Sauce
Red Chili Paste
Teriyaki Sauce
Italian Dressing (I’ll explain!)
Sweet Red Chili Sauce
Brown Sugar
Ground Ginger
*You can add any type of bell peppers to this dish, all colors or just the ones you like or have on hand
** Jalapenos are optional!
Preparation:
Dice up veggies
Hello veggies!
Rinse and pat dry shrimp. I have found that my shrimp need to be really dried because they get watery when I’m trying to sear them.
(Patting dry with a paper towel)
After this attempt I would probably do it again until the paper towel doesn’t get that wet anymore. I still got watery shrimp, but it isn’t so bad, it still tasted great!
Cook!
First I sauteed the shrimp in a little bit of canola oil. I want to use olive oil next time.
I added a little bit of garlic near the end, and as you can see it still had some water to it, but, I used that in my sauce so it worked out. Make sure to remove the shrimp when it is allllmost done so that you don’t over cook it.
Next I sauteed the veggies until slightly translucent.
While that cooked I made my special stir fry sauce. I can’t tell you exact measurements. I just know how much by eye. I always taste it to make sure it’s balanced and add whatever I think it needs to make it right.
As you can see, I have a secret ingredient... Italian dressing. I know! Weird! But one day I did not have lemon juice (which I think stir fry really needs to keep it from being too heavy) so I used that and it was so tasty I just kept using it.
The other ingredients are soy sauce, red chili paste (if you don’t like spicy food, you can omit this), brown sugar, and Panda Express Sweet Red Chili Sauce. You might find another brand or know how to make it yourself. You can make this without that, but it really is deeeelicious!
Remember to taste it and make sure you like it! You have to take into account it will be slightly muted once it’s in the dish, so don’t worry if it seems sweet or spicy, it works out!
After the veggies are done, I add the shrimp back in and pour my sauce on top.
I let this simmer for a few minutes to incorporate the flavors.
I did not add any thickening agent to this dish. It was already pretty reduced by the time I was ready to serve.
I served it over rice with a little more of the red chili sauce and yes jalapenos!
It was really tasty and I know the next time I make it, it will be even more yummy!
If you try this recipe, leave me a comment on how it came out, what you changed, and whatever else you like!