Skip to main content
LoginSign Up
Hot Oil-Flashed Garlic-Ginger Shrimp

Hot Oil-Flashed Garlic-Ginger Shrimp

By Hisham Ali HassanDecember 3, 2024

  • Makes
    2-4 servings
  • Cook Time
    30 minutes

At Brother Seafood Restaurant in Hong Kong, chef and owner Au Yam Shing prepared these garlicky, spicy-sweet shrimp and used a classic Cantonese method to finish the dish: pouring hot oil over aromatics to bloom their flavors and aromas. For our riff, we fry sliced garlic in the oil, which infuses it with flavor while also crisping the garlic. We then drizzle the sizzling-hot garlic oil over ginger- and chili-sprinkled steamed shrimp. It’s important to mince the ginger rather than grate it. Grated ginger is too wet and pulpy to distribute evenly. Paired with rice and steamed vegetables or wilted greens, this makes for a quick, satisfying dinner.

Tip

Don’t leave the burner on when steaming the shrimp. There’s enough residual heat and steam in the pot to fully cook them. Also, once the garlic turns golden brown, remove the oil from the heat and pour it over the shrimp. If the garlic burns, the oil will taste bitter.

Ingredients
  • 2

    tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1

    tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

  • 1

    teaspoon white sugar

  • 1

    pound extra-large shrimp (21/25 per pound), peeled, deveined and patted dry

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    scallions, thinly sliced

  • 1

    Fresno chili, stemmed, seeded and minced

  • 1

    tablespoon minced fresh ginger

  • ¼

    cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Step 1

Place a steamer basket in a large Dutch oven. Add just enough water to not reach the basket. Remove the basket. Cover and bring the water to a simmer over medium-high. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.

Step 2

Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then place in a single layer in the basket. Carefully set the basket in the pot, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a shallow heatproof serving dish. Scatter the scallions, chili and ginger over them. In a small saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil and garlic until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour the oil and garlic directly over the shrimp and aromatics (they will sizzle). Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the shrimp.

Featured in