Honey Walnut Shrimp (Better than take-out)

Overhead of a plate of rice and fried shrimp

Honey Walnut Shrimp (Better than take-out)

Better than take-out, budget-friendly crispy honey walnut shrimp tossed in a creamy, sweet sauce topped with caramelized walnuts. This recipe will give panda express a run for its money!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings Servings

Calories 560kcal

Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

Candied Walnuts

30 walnut halves whole
4 cups canola oil
2 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt

Steamed Broccoli

8 oz broccoli
1 tsp salt

Honey Shrimp

¼ cup mayonnaise
3 ½ tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 ½ teaspoon honey
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 large egg whisked
Sesame seeds optional garnish

Instructions

Make Candied Walnuts

Fry the walnuts. In a small saucepan or deep skillet, heat about 1 inch of oil to 325F around 3-4 cups. Fry the walnuts for 4 minutes or until golden brown. This oil will be used to fry the shrimp.
Make the simple syrup. While the oil is heating, mix 2 tablespoons of water with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and a pinch of salt into a frying pan over low heat stirring occasionally for 4 minutes or until reduced.
Candy the walnuts. Once the walnuts are fried immediately scoop them out with a slotted spoon, drain the oil, and transfer to the simple syrup. Coat the walnuts with the simple syrup on medium-low heat until no remaining liquid is in the frying pan and the sugar has browned. This creates a thin candy coating.
Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Be sure to spread them out so they are not touching each other.

Blanch the broccoli

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Blanch the broccoli florets in the boiling water for 30 seconds-1 minute depending on how firm you want the broccoli. Transfer to a bowl of cold water for 10 seconds to stop the cooking process. Drain and plate in a circle.

Honey Shrimp

Mix sauce. In a mixing bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, honey, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Prepare the shrimp. Peel and devein the shrimp. Cut the backs of each shrimp a little deeper to get a nice coating and a more open shape. Season with salt and pepper.
Coat the shrimp. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg and prepare the bowl for cornstarch. Dip the shrimp into the egg and drain excess and then dredge in the cornstarch.
Pan-fry the shrimp. In the same deep skillet, re-heat the oil to 350F. Working quickly, place the shrimp into the oil. Be sure to separate the shrimp so they do not meld together. You will have to do this in a few batches. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Toss the shrimp with the sauce. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shrimp into a large stainless steel mixing bowl lined with a paper towel to drain excess oil. Remove the paper towel and pour the creamy sauce mixture onto the shrimp and toss until coated.
Serve. Place the shrimp into the center of the plate with the broccoli, sprinkle with candied walnuts and sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Notes

Use an oil thermometer with a clip attachment. The clip attachment has made frying in oil 100x easier. With the clip attachment, I don't have to continue holding the thermometer or worry about it falling in or out of the pan. A thermometer also will help you regulate the temperature of the oil. When you heat oil, the temperature fluctuates quickly, and having an attached thermometer will help you monitor these fluctuations.

Use a deep skillet. For this dish, I recommend using a deep skillet instead of a saucepan. A wider skillet will allow you to fry more shrimp without them touching each other.
Butterfly cut the shrimp. After peeling and deveining the shrimp, cut the back of the shrimp along the spine about halfway deep. This will have the shrimp open up beautifully when you cook them.
Keep coating the walnuts in the sugar syrup until no water remains. This is an important step to guarantee the crisp walnut candied crunch. If you remove it from the heat while there is still water on the pan, it may be too early and result in a chewy walnut.
Storage Instructions. This honey walnut shrimp recipe is best served immediately. The crunch will dissolve over time by the sauce. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days but the texture will no longer be crispy.

Nutrition