Easy Firecracker Shrimp Stir Fry

This Easy Firecracker Shrimp Stir Fry is the proper weeknight meal with tender shrimp, crisp greens, all smothered in a candy and spicy sauce. Tastes approach higher than take-out! Serve over rice and have dinner in your desk in underneath 20 minutes. 

Skip the take-out and make this flavor-packed Firecracker Shrimp Stir Fry in simply quarter-hour! Loaded with colourful bell peppers, tender snap peas and juicy shrimp all tossed in probably the most scrumptious spicy sauce. This is the proper straightforward dinner for these busy weeknights and I promise tastes higher than your favourite takeout meal. Serve over fluffy rice and luxuriate in leftovers for lunch the following day. Think bang bang shrimp or kung pao shrimp, however more healthy!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• High Protein – shrimp is a superb supply of lean protein! This stir fry packs in over 34 grams of protein per serving.
• Sweet and Spicy – the mix of honey and sriracha provides this stir fry a scrumptious candy and spicy kick.
• Quick and Easy – you possibly can simply whip up this spicy shrimp stir fry in simply quarter-hour utilizing minimal elements.
• Customizable – be at liberty to make this dish all your personal! Swap out the protein, change up the veggies and regulate the spice degree to your liking.
• Great for Meal Prep – make a batch of this stir fry and divide it up into containers to take pleasure in all through the week for lunches or dinner.

Ingredients

• shrimp – you should utilize contemporary or frozen massive shrimp that’s thawed. Just ensure you use peeled and deveined shrimp. Only use uncooked shrimp, not pre-cooked shrimp.
• veggies – I used a mix of crimson and yellow bell peppers with sugar snap peas (or snow peas) and inexperienced onions. Feel free to make use of no matter veggies you’d like akin to broccoli, asparagus, inexperienced beans, sliced zucchini, mushrooms, and even leafy greens.
• olive oil – I like to make use of an excellent olive oil that doesn’t need to be costly, you simply need to be sure to make use of an oil with a high smoke level. You may additionally use canola oil, vegetable oil or perhaps a little peanut oil for further taste.

For the Firecracker Sauce

• soy sauce – I at all times use lower sodium soy sauce as I personally assume common soy sauce is simply too salty for my style, however be at liberty to make use of what you could have readily available! You also can swap the soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari to make this gluten-free.
• sesame oil – this provides much more depth of taste, however if you happen to don’t have sesame oil readily available you possibly can simply go away it out and this stir fry will nonetheless style nice!
• honey – this provides a bit sweetness with out utilizing refined sugars to stability out all of the spice, however be at liberty to swap the honey with maple syrup or different pure sweetener. 
• sriracha – I really like the spicy taste of sriracha and it’s what makes this finger-licking sauce so good! You may additionally use chili garlic sauce or different kind of spicy sauce.
• tomato paste – that is taking the place of ketchup on this recipe and provides some depth of taste to the sauce whereas thickening it up a bit.  No want for corn starch!
• rice vinegar – provides a contact of acidity that helps stability all these flavors, however if you happen to don’t have rice vinegar, be at liberty to substitute with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or perhaps a little lemon juice or lime juice with zest.
• garlic – provides a lift of taste to this stir fry and contemporary minced garlic is at all times greatest!  If you don’t have contemporary garlic cloves, you should utilize a 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
• seasonings – mixture of crushed crimson pepper flakes (if you happen to like extra warmth), a little bit of salt and black pepper.

How to Make Firecracker Shrimp

1. Cook shrimp. In a large skillet over medium high warmth, drizzle a bit olive oil and cook dinner shrimp in a single layer till it simply begins to show pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels and put aside.
2. Sauté the veggies. Drizzle one other tablespoon of olive oil onto the hot skillet and add the peppers and sugar snap peas. Cook the greens till tender, about 4 to five minutes over medium warmth, stirring frequently.
3. Make the sauce. While the veggies cook dinner, make the sticky sauce. In a small bowl, whisk collectively the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, sriracha, tomato paste, rice vinegar, garlic, crushed crimson pepper flakes and black pepper. Set apart.
4. Stir fry. Once the veggies are good and tender, add the shrimp again into the pan and toss collectively. Pour the spicy firecracker sauce over high and blend effectively. Make certain every little thing is coated and produce the sauce to a boil. Turn down the warmth and simmer till sauce has thickened up and every little thing is included. 
5. Serve and luxuriate in. Garnish with sliced inexperienced onions (aka scallions), sesame seeds and serve over white rice or brown rice.

How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp

• Overnight – If you realize you’re making this forward of time, thaw the frozen shrimp within the fridge 24 hours earlier than it’s essential to cook dinner them. Place shrimp in a bowl or a plastic bag to thaw – that is my most popular technique.
• Day of thaw – If you’re quick on time, the easiest way to defrost the shrimp is transferring them to a sealed plastic bag and submerging underneath chilly running water. Keep the shrimp within the chilly water for about 45 minutes till thawed.

Tips, Tricks and Substitutions

• Adjust spice degree – if you happen to like your stir fry even spicier, add in further sriracha or different sizzling sauce. Alternatively, if the sauce is simply too spicy for you, be at liberty to chop the sriracha in half or swap it with one thing much less spicy like candy chili sauce.
• Veggie choices – be at liberty to swap or add different veggies, like mushrooms, carrots, or broccoli, relying on what you could have readily available.
• Make it gluten-free – swap out the soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari to make this gluten-free.

How to Serve

• Serve over rice – take pleasure in this firecracker shrimp and veggies as a fundamental dish over a mattress of white rice, brown rice and even cauliflower rice for a low carb choice.
• Pair with noodles – serve over lo mein noodles or rice noodles to alter issues up. The noodles will take in the sauce, making every chunk much more flavorful!
• With a salad – pair this firecracker shrimp with a facet salad akin to this crunchy Thai hen salad or this Chinese hen salad.
• Make egg rolls – utilizing spring roll wrappers, wrap up the shrimp and both bake them within the oven on a baking sheet or fry them up in a pan till golden brown.
• As an appetizer – as an alternative of a stir fry, whip up this shrimp and serve with toothpicks or small skewers and your favourite dipping sauce for the proper appetizer everybody will love.

Prepping and Storage

To Store: I at all times prefer to hold a bag of uncooked frozen shrimp in my freezer for recipes like this and simply thaw the bag within the fridge in a single day. You also can use contemporary shrimp as effectively.  Leftover firecracker shrimp will last as long as 3 or 4 days within the fridge saved in a sealed, airtight container. Use your greatest judgment in fact!

To Freeze: You also can freeze this meal for as much as 2 months.  When desirous to reheat, I counsel thawing the frozen shrimp first and re-heating every little thing in a skillet reasonably than a microwave for greatest outcomes. Just a reminder, please don’t freeze shrimp that you simply beforehand thawed out.

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Hope you all benefit from the BEST Firecracker Shrimp recipe and if you happen to find it irresistible as a lot as we do, please go away me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ beneath and don’t overlook to tag me on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I really like seeing all of your scrumptious recreations!