I make my garlic shrimp with chili crisp and sriracha for shimmering heat and plenty of umami. Velvety, hot and smoky with tons of aromatics. This is the reason I cook dinner at home instead of ordering out.
Some recipes are endlessly tweaked before I publish them. And some turn out so much better than I ever could have imagined on the first try that I almost have to pinch myself. This spicy garlic shrimp is one of the latter. What took me off guard first was the smoky, salty, nutty, pungent sauce – even though I kept the ingredients list super simple. The thing that kept me coming back was the springiness and juiciness of the shrimp. I’ve velveted shrimp before – and this recipe serves as another reminder on why I’ll continue to take that step when making shrimp stir fries.
Much of my saucy success here comes down to using the right aromatics. Garlic, ginger and shallots introduce such a vibrant base of flavor. Then I went with a couple of fiery elements: namely chili crisp (the same product I use to make my Sichuan mapo tofu stand out) – and sriracha. I’m proud of this recipe. And it’s at the top of my arsenal when I opt to cook at home instead of ordering takeout when I’m feeling lazy.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Shrimp: Fresh or frozen works. Be sure they’re properly thawed, peeled and deveined.
- Baking Soda and Salt: This acts as a quick velveting agent for the shrimp. 15 minutes is all it takes to tenderize the shrimp and give them a pliant ‘pop’ once they’re cooked. Rinse this off before cooking.
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored cooking. I use grapeseed oil, avocado oil and vegetable oil interchangably.
- Garlic, Ginger and Shallots: These are my aromatics. I finely dice both the garlic and ginger. For the shallots, I chop them slightly larger.
- Green Onions: I roughly chop my green onions (aka: scallions) into pieces between 1/2-inch to an inch long. For this recipe, I like them to have a presence and bite.
Sauce Ingredients
- Chili crisp, mayonnaise, soy sauce and sriracha sauce. Hot, tangy and umami perfection.
Variations
Here are some easy tweaks.
- Make it spicier. Add a touch more chili crisp, freshly chopped chilis or Sichuan peppercorns for more fire. Or make homemade Sichuan chili oil for even more aromatic heat.
- Go vegan. Swap the shrimp for sliced fried tofu or rehydrated soy strips (like the ones I used in my vegan gyudon recipe). And just use vegan mayo instead of the regular mayonnaise.
How to Make It
- Velvet the shrimp. Coat the shrimp in salt and baking soda for 15 minutes. Then rinse and pat dry.
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
- Stir fry the aromatics, shrimp and green onions. Do this in stages. See the recipe card at the bottom of this page for heat and timing recommendations.
- Add the sauce. Toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.
The mix of garlic, ginger, mayonnaise, sauce soy, sriracha sauce and chili crisp add a Sichuan leaning flavor profile to classic garlic shrimp.
Expert Tips
Velveting the shrimp. Before cooking I brined the shrimp in salt and baking soda. This gives them a squeaky, crisp and juicy texture once they’re cooked. This technique is called called velveting – and is a trick used in Chinese cooking for proteins like pork, beef, poultry and seafood. It locks in moisture and tenderizes meat.
Why I used mayonnaise. Mayo imparts just the slightest element of creaminess. That’s a stark contrast to the otherwise hot and pungent notes from this garlic shrimp recipe. It provides a smooth base for the flavors of the garlic, shallots, ginger and chilis to latch on to. While I’d obviously use mayo in a dish like walnut shrimp – it’s a little more unexpected here. But I think it’s the lynchpin to this chili crisp sauce.
What I Serve With Spicy Garlic Shrimp
This garlicky Chinese shrimp is smoky, salty, nutty, pungent and packed with umami. With flavors like that, I usually default to a bowl of jasmine rice or fluffy steamed Japanese rice and call it a day. But for those times I’m making a full on Chinese feast for family and friends, here’s what I pair with it:
- Chicken Egg Foo Young
- Dan Dan Noodles
- Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce
- Egg Fried Rice
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover garlic shrimp in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 2 days. Be sure to store the stir fry and any leftover rice in separate containers.
Reheat gently in the microwave. I like to use 50% power when reheating shrimp in the microwave so they come to temperature slowly. This keeps them from overcooking and getting rubbery.
I do not recommend freezing leftover shrimp.
Frequently Asked Questions
If they’re chewy or tough, they’re probably overcooked. The velveting process provides a little protection from overcooking (oftentimes, overcooked shrimp will still have a pleasant ‘squeak’ to them if they’ve previously been velveted). However, most shrimp only takes 4-5 minutes total when cooking on medium high heat.
That depends on the chili crisp. I used Laoganma chili crisp for this recipe. I find it to be more smoky than overtly spicy. But some brands go further with the heat, so test before adding it to the sauce. Start with a little. You can always add more. Also, you can add a bit less sriracha for less heat. That said, if you don’t like spicy food at all, I’d recommend making this Chinese style shrimp donburi instead.
You can do the prep in 5 minutes – and the cook time is roughly 6 minutes. It’s a quick one! But there’s a 15 minute brine for the shrimp (passive time) that I’m also taking in to account. Do the velveting step first and chop your garlic, ginger and shallots while the shrimp is brining to shave some time off that 26 minutes.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Garlic Shrimp With Chili Crisp
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stir frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
I make my garlic shrimp with chili crisp and sriracha for shimmering heat and tons of umami.
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 6 stalks green onions, roughly chopped
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Velvet the shrimp. Put shrimps in a bowl and add salt and baking soda. Mix using your fingers until the shrimps are evenly coated. Brine for 15 minutes. Then rinse the shrimp under cold water and pat dry.
- Mix the sauce. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
- Stir fry the aromatics. In a pan over medium high heat, add oil and when the oil is hot, add garlic, ginger and shallot and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir fry the shrimp and green onions. Add shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes, until shrimps are cooked through. Add green onions and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Sauce and serve. Add sauce and toss until the shrimp are evenly coated. Transfer to a bowl or plate and serve with rice.
Notes
This garlic shrimp with chili crisp recipe will keep refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in the microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 1.7g
- Sodium: 1233.8mg
- Fat: 11.8g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4.4g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 188.9mg
The chili crisp you used is OK.. The best is however by the same funny lady is “Chili oil with fermented soy beans”! Incredible, try it! Roy
Hi Roy! I did try the chili oil you are talking about but prefer the other one (I’m old school I guess :)). Taste is so subjective which is what makes cooking so fun!
This is now my go-to recipe for shrimp! It is a great and different flavor and we love it. Try it; you’ll like it!
Thank you so much Bettyann!
Your Garlic Shrimp With Chili Crisp was outstanding! We loved it! I highly recommend this recipe to everyone — Easy to make, tasty and delicious, restaurant quality!
Thank you so much Betty Ann! 🙂
Is there a way to decrease the amount of sodium in this dish?
Hi Ysw,
You can skip the step where the shrimp are brining. Instead, you can add a little low sodium soy sauce when tasting the dish, if needed. I hope this helps!
This was SO good. Love the use of chili crisp in it
This recipe is fantastic! The shrimp came out perfect. We made extra sauce and used it for spam cauliflower fried rice.
Family loved this! Used our favorite brand of chili crisp instead–Mr. Bing–and it was perfect! https://www.mr-bing.com/
This recipe is THE BEST and I am officially obsessed. Looking forward to more Lao Gan Ma (chili crisp oil) recipes!
Thank you so much Sarah! 🙂
Hi there,
I made this tonight and you are 100% correct- delish! And super easy. Once everything is chopped and mixed, it comes together very quickly.
Note: I used shelled but deveined shrimp. Before pulling off the shells, we sucked all the flavor out- so good. All your recipes are great- thank you!
Eileen, we also love sucking on the shells, there is so much flavor there 🙂 Thank you for the kind comment, you just made my day ❤️
I have a question for you. Is the chili crisp supposed be super fishy? I did order a jar from Amazon and it came broken and a lot of the oil had leaked out. Neither my husband and I can eat it because it’s too fishy for our personal taste, but I wanted double check with you before I throw the chili crisp out or if I should try another jar of it.
I did make two recipes with it though to give it a fair shake though! 🙂
This shrimp dish looks and sounds amazing! I hope I can find the grumpy lady jar at the local market & or whole foods! Thanks for the inspiration, 4th century elemental balance of Chinese dishes are always so complex but often simple. See ya’ on the twitterverse!
Can i use Chili Garlic Sauce instead because that’s what i have.
Hi Jamie, chili crisp is very different than chili garlic sauce – it’s salty, spicy and nutty while the chili garlic sauce is more sweet and mild. If you love authentic Chinese dishes, I would recommend getting some chili crisp (it’s available on Amazon if you can’t find some at your local Asian grocery store), it’s worth it! We put it on everything!
Grumpy old lady? I always thought it was a man. That’s really funny 🙂
Hahaha!