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Ginger Sesame Garlic Shrimp

Quick and easy! Shrimp marinated in a ginger sesame garlic soy sauce marinade, then quickly stir-fried.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Ginger Sesame Garlic Shrimp
Elise Bauer

In a hurry? I get it. Some days there just isn't enough time to get everything done that needs to be done!

Those days are the reason I keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer. Shrimp quickly defrost in cold water and cook in only a few minutes.

My favorite way to cook shrimp is to stir-fry it, just barely enough to cook it through. Too much cooking and you end up with something rubbery and dry.

This stir-fry shrimp is perfect for a quick midweek meal. You marinate the shrimp in a soy sauce mixture with ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and rice vinegar, and then cook it on almost-smoking high heat for just a couple of minutes.

Toss with some sliced green onions, sprinkle with sesame seeds and you're done! Great with rice, noodles, spinach or bok choy.

Ginger Sesame Garlic Shrimp

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 2 to 3 servings
To easily thaw frozen shrimp, place in a large bowl of water with ice cubes.

Ingredients

  • Marinade:
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-free version)
  • 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
  • 1 Tbsp grated ginger
  • Shrimp:
  • 1 pound 16-20 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil or canola oil
  • 3 green onions, including onion greens, sliced on the diagonal
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Method

  1. Marinate the shrimp:

    In a medium bowl whisk together the soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, and brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Then whisk in the olive oil, sesame oil, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Place the shrimp in the bowl with the marinade. Toss to coat with the marinade and chill until ready to cook.

    ginger-sesame-garlic-shrimp-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    ginger-sesame-garlic-shrimp-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  2. Toast sesame seeds:

    If you haven't already done so, toast the sesame seeds in a small sauté pan on medium high heat until lightly browned.

  3. Stir-fry shrimp and green onions:

    Heat cooking oil in a large stick-free sauté pan or wok (can use seasoned cast iron) on high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, almost smoking, use a slotted spoon to move the shrimp from the marinade into the hot pan. (Watch out, it will splatter.) Stir-fry for a minute.

    Add half of the sliced green onions. Continue to stir fry, turning the individual shrimp over if necessary, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through. No more than 2 minutes max total cooking time, a minute on each side.

    ginger-sesame-garlic-shrimp-method-3
    Elise Bauer
    ginger-sesame-garlic-shrimp-method-4
    Elise Bauer
  4. Reduce marinade:

    Remove shrimp from pan and transfer to a serving bowl. Place the remaining marinade in the hot sauté pan and simmer it until it has reduced to a syrup.

    ginger-sesame-garlic-shrimp-method-5
    Elise Bauer
    ginger-sesame-garlic-shrimp-method-6
    Elise Bauer
  5. Pour sauce over shrimp, sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions:

    Pour over the shrimp. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the shrimp with toasted sesame seeds and remaining green onions.

    Serve immediately with rice, soba noodles, rice noodles, bok choy, spinach, broccoli, or asparagus.

Ginger Sesame Garlic Shrimp
Elise Bauer