Walnut Shrimp
Walnut Shrimp is one of my favorite dishes when I go to a Chinese restaurant. Crispy caramelized shrimp are doused in a velvety soy/honey sauce and topped with candied walnuts. So very good!
In my neck of the woods, I’m sad to say that we don’t have really good Chinese food close by. Growing up in Toronto, we had multiple choices but in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, we are limited. If I wanted to drive a bit, there are excellent restaurants in the southeast part of the greater metropolitan Phoenix area, but if I’m looking for a quick fix, making it myself is the best bet.
This recipe will have you pulling out the wok (or large skillet) regularly. These walnut shrimp are delicious and taste just like you’d get at the Chinese restaurant, just a little healthier because they aren’t fried!
We begin by marinating the shrimp in Shaoxing wine, ginger, salt and white pepper. Let them sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Make the glazed walnuts by heating the vegetable oil and sugar in a hot sauté pan. On a medium-low heat, cook until the sugar has melted and starts to turn an amber color.
Add the walnuts and coat the nuts with the sugar. Cook until the sugar becomes golden brown and immediately tip the walnuts out onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Let it cool for about 5 minutes and then break the walnuts apart.
Right before cooking the shrimp, toss them with cornstarch. This helps to give them the crispy crust without the need to deep-fry them.
Heat the oil until it’s hot and add the shrimp. Don’t overlap them…it’s okay to cook them in two batches. Let them sit without moving until they turn golden brown on the bottom and then flip until the second side is golden brown. Transfer the shrimp to a big plate to cool.
It’s important to not skip this step. The sauce that you are tossing them in next is mayonnaise-based and will melt it if the shrimp are too hot.
To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Once the shrimp have cooled a bit, transfer the shrimp to a large bowl and add the sauce. Mix well.
Add half of the walnuts and quickly mix. Transfer everything to a large bowl, add the rest of the walnuts and top with sliced green onions.
Serve immediately with rice!
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Walnut Shrimp
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Shrimp:
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (for shallow fry)
- green onion , sliced (for garnish)
Glazed Walnuts:
- 1 cup roasted walnuts
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 tsp rice vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
Instructions
Mix the shrimp, Shaoxing wine, salt, ginger and white pepper together in a medium bowl.
Marinate for 10 minutes while preparing other ingredients.
To make the glazed walnuts, line a baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper.
Heat the oil in a small or medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until just turning warm. Swirl the pan to let the oil coat as much surface as possible. Sprinkle the sugar into the pan in a thin layer. Turn to medium-low heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until most of the sugar has melted and starts turning an amber color, 3 minutes or so.
Add the walnuts. Stir everything together to let the sugar coat the nuts as evenly as possible. Keep cooking and stirring until all the sugar has melted and the sugar turns a golden brown color, about 2 minutes. Then immediately transfer everything onto the lined baking sheet.
Spread out the nuts again and separate them as much as possible using a spatula. Let cool until the coating has hardened, 5 minutes or so. Then you can easily break apart the nuts.
To make the sauce, mix the mayonnaise, condensed milk, honey, rice vinegar, and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Stir to mix well.
Right before cooking the shrimp, add the cornstarch to the marinated shrimp. Coat the shrimp evenly. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the shrimp without overlapping (you might need to cook in 2 batches). Let cook until the bottom turns golden. Flip and cook the other side until golden. Transfer the shrimp to a big plate to cool slightly.
Once the shrimp cool off a bit (see Chef’s Note), transfer the shrimp into a big bowl without transferring the juice or oil pooled in the plate. Add the sauce and mix well.
Add half of the glazed walnuts and give it a quick mix. Transfer everything to a large plate. Add the rest of the walnuts and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve immediately as a main dish.
Chef’s Note:
The key is to cool the shrimp for a few minutes so it’s not hot enough to melt the mayonnaise, but don’t wait until it turns cold.
Recipe from Omnivore’s Cookbook
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