Honey Garlic Shrimp

Honey Garlic Shrimp

This speedy dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes and relies on pantry staples like honey and soy sauce for easy weeknight flavor. The honey-garlic sauce works double-time, serving as a sweet-and-savory marinade and as a pan sauce for the crustaceans. While large shrimp work best for this recipe (and are the most forgiving when it comes to cooking time), smaller shrimp will work, too. If your shrimp cook through before it’s time to add the sauce to the skillet, transfer them to a serving dish and reduce the sauce on its own before pouring it over the shrimp. Serve with steamed rice, and a simply cooked green vegetable or cucumber salad.

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound extra-large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off)

⅓ cup honey 

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 large cloves)

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

Thinly sliced scallions, for serving

Place the shrimp in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper; whisk until smooth. Pour 3 tablespoons of the marinade over the shrimp and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to 1 hour in the fridge.

While the shrimp marinate, combine the cornstarch with the remaining marinade and set aside.

Lift the shrimp from the marinade to paper towels and pat dry; discard any marinade remaining in the bowl.

Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. (A cast-iron skillet will help the shrimp brown more deeply than a nonstick skillet.) Add the oil, swirling to coat the pan, then arrange the shrimp in the skillet in one layer. Cook for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom, then flip the shrimp and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the pan sauce thickens. (If your shrimp are on the smaller side and already cooked through before it’s time to add the sauce, transfer them to the serving dish and reduce the sauce on its own. Pour the sauce over the cooked shrimp.)

Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a serving dish, sprinkle with scallions and serve.

TIP: I recommend using less corn starch than the recipe calls for and making a slurry prior to combining it with the marinade in step 3. When I poured the marinade over the cooking shrimp in step 6 it congealed very quickly and made a very unappetizing sauce. The flavors were pretty good but the honey was a bit overpowering. Fresh lime to finish wouldn’t hurt either.