Try this recipe: Orange Shrimp
Photo courtesy thepinkpeppercorn / Flickr
After my parents split up about 10 years ago, Mom and I started a tradition where she comes to Roanoke one day not long before Christmas and spends the night with Howard and me. We cook a nice dinner, drink some wine, and watch “White Christmas” or some other holiday movie.
It’s a nice way to get in some quality time together before Christmas Day, which is usually a frenzy of driving around and ripping open presents. I figured out a long time ago that if you hang all your hopes for QT with loved ones on one 24-hour period, you are bound to be disappointed.
This year, we decided we were in the mood for shrimp, and we finally settled on a recipe for Orange Shrimp. It was either that or this Coconut Shrimp recipe, which I still intend to try. We absolutely loved this shrimp dish. I made a few minor changes, including doubling the sauce so we’d have enough to drizzle over the rice, too. We served it with steamed broccoli and had a big ole time enjoying our shrimp and our evening together.
This is fast and easy to make. I hope you like it as much as we did!
If you want to check out some of the other recipes I have bookmarked on Pinterest, click here.
Orange Shrimp
Serves 3
I added about 1/2 tablespoon of freshly minced ginger to the sauce and used a dark, rich soy sauce from an Asian grocery. Double the sauce recipe if you like saucy rice; double everything if you’re cooking for a bigger crowd. Adapted from Heartmindandseoul.com.
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup ketchup
1/4 cup orange juice or blood orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less or more)
1/2 tablespoon dried chives (optional)
sliced almonds (optional)
Korean wrinkled chili peppers, sliced (optional)
1. To make the sauce: combine soy sauce, ketchup, orange juice, honey, vinegar, garlic, chives (optional), and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place shrimp on heated grill or in a large skillet or wok greased with a drizzle of sesame or vegetable oil. Season them with black pepper and cook just until barely done, or a few minutes.
3. Combine sauce and shrimp in a large skillet or wok (the one you used to cook the shrimp if that’s how you cooked them). Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
January 4, 2013 - 2:20 PM
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I’ll say this – I didn’t even look at the recipe, or anything else. I looked at the picture, and I read about how you celebrate with your Mom, caps intended. You’ve got the right idea, it’s not about 24 hour, it’s about the mood.
Orange shrimp, and the picture are REALLY appealing. Open your minds, folks, because Orange Shrimp should be in there in the holidays.
I so hate that I can no longer eat shrimp.
Food allergies are a bummer.
Sounds delicious and so easy~! Gonna try this week~!
@Debbie…I think you would be able to subsitute chicken for this recipe.
You could definitely do this with chicken – maybe even pork. Just saute chunks of chicken until they are almost done, then add the sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through. I’ll bet that would be delicious.
Lindsey, Do you have any imformation on Soup for Seniors? Is it going on this month and where are the dropoff places. I’ve been collecting my soup.
Having already done this based on recipes prior to this – chicken certainly substitutes for the shrimp. Pork does not in this recipe. Pork recipes work best with mustard and/or sweet (honey or molasses) sauces. Chicken & shrimp can be substituted in most recipes. You can also LIGHTLY bread the shrimp or chicken (works better with chicken) with an EXTREMELY light dusting of breading or flour or powderized nuts prior to cooking. You can also add finely grounds nuts as a topping for these.
Here’s a primer that works well in most cases…
Seafood – use citrus or light herb flavorings
Fish – use citrus or flour or nut or light herb flavorings
Chicken – use citrus or flour flavorings
Pork – use mustard or heavy herb or sweet flavorings like honey or molasses, etc.
Beef/game – use the strongest flavorings, like wine or mustards or heavy herbs or molasses, etc.
There are always exceptions, but these are good baselines – like I before E, except after C…
New Year’s Resolution! – Don’t Be Afraid To Try! What’s the worst that could happen? It might taste bad? Haven’t we all had – and expect to have – an occasional meal that tastes bad? So what? Expand your horizons. That makes those times you ‘come home’ to comfort food your momma/grandma made taste even better.
@ Barbara, that’s a good question. I have sent a query and will let you know what I hear back.
@Crooked Road, those are all very good guidelines. I like citrus flavors with pork but it just depends on the recipe. The sauce in this recipe is pretty deep and sweet and I believe it would be good with pork.
Barbara, I’m told the Soup for Seniors will be Feb. 4-9. Dan Casey will have more details in his column in The Roanoke Times on Jan. 27.
Lindsey, what I’ve always heard from chefs is the lighter/heavier the protein, the lighter/heavier the seasonings. As I already said, that’s not an ironclad rule, but a good guideline. As I also said, do not be so afraid of experimentation. The worst possible thing is that something tastes bad. As someone who has overcooked, undercooked, burned, left raw dough, scorched, flattened cakes/pies/souffles, and generally decimated all forms of sustenance – life goes on. Just don’t pressure yourself into thinking it has to be perfect. Thus – experiment to determine your own taste desires…
I would certainly agree.
And don’t forget to season throughout the process, don’t just dump everything in at the beginning. Correct your seasonings (meaning taste and adjust) as you go.
I’ll definitely try the Orange Shrimp recipe. It sounds easy and looks beautiful in the photograph.
Thanks for the update on the Soup For Seniors. Now I have more time to collect soup.