Sweet & Sticky Korean Shrimp (10 Minutes!)
Is this the easiest dinner ever?
In a word: Yes. And you can have it starting right now.
A recipe this embarrassingly simple demands a short post, so I’m going to keep this quick. For this dish you need 10 minutes, wild-caught shrimp, and only SIX other ingredients. So if you can handle all that, you’re already half-way there.
You start by creating a luscious sweet & sticky sauce made of soy sauce, honey, Gochujang, garlic, and sesame oil. For those who don’t know, Gochujang is a Korean chili paste, and it is wonderfully hot as hell. It’s readily available at almost any grocery store, so don’t be intimidated about buying it. And as I said, it is HOT. In a good way, obviously. But still, fire it is. Anyway, the gist of this sauce is an ideal balance between sweetness, heat, and yes — stickiness. That’s because the stickier the sauce, the more it clings to your shrimp like a bedazzled figure skaters leotard. And clearly, I’ve been OD’ing on the Olympics.
With your sauce mixed, add about 2 tablespoons of it to the shrimp and toss to evenly coat, then transfer the remainder to a skillet. Warm over a medium-high flame until it reaches a rolling boil, then whisk in some sifted cornstarch for thickening. Continue to cook and whisk the sauce until it’s reduced into a THICK, nearly tar-like consistency, then add the shrimp to the skillet. Warm for 2 – 3 minutes, and that’s it!
Your sweet, sticky, firey-ass dinner is served.
As you might have guessed, I suggest pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe, but if you’d like to, fresh stuff is fine. Just cook for a few extra minutes until pink, and you’ll be set. As always wild-caught is best — the farmed stuff is garbage — and if your shrimp is frozen, just defrost to room temperature before proceeding as written! Personally I love this paired with sliced mango for extra sweetness, plus sugar snap peas for a touch of green. But you can enjoy this with charred broccoli, shishito peppers, edamame, whatever!
The rest of the meal is yours to decide. xo
Sweet & Sticky Korean Shrimp (10 Minutes!)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 6 tbsps honey
- 1 tbsp Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tbsp crushed or minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsps sesame oil
- 1 lb large pre-cooked shrimp (fresh, or fully defrosted if frozen)
- 2 tsps cornstarch, sifted
Directions:
- In a small mixing bowl combine the soy sauce, honey, Gochujang, garlic, and sesame oil, whisking until smooth. Next, in a large mixing bowl combine about 2 tbsps of this sauce with the shrimp, tossing until evenly coated.
- Pour the remaining marinade into a large skillet and warm over a medium-high flame. As it reaches a rolling boil whisk in the cornstarch, then continue to let the sauce bubble until reduced and thick, about 5 minutes. Be sure to periodically whisk the sauce as it thickens. When you’re happy with the texture, toss in the shrimp and cook until warm, about 2 minutes. Immediately plate and serve, pairing with your choice of starch and veggies.
