I’m having one of those weeks in the kitchen where absolutely nothing seems to go right. There haven’t been a ton of outright failures, just a bunch of so-so, definitely not worthy of a repeat type recipes. Dinner has been especially brutal. Three nights in a row I’ve tried a new recipe and I can pretty much guarantee you won’t be seeing a single one of them here on the blog. I was so positive last night’s meal was going to turn things around – it looked so promising when it emerged from the oven, and it smelled amazing. But that first bite was disappointing, the dish was seriously lacking in flavor. Back to the drawing board – hopefully our luck is going to change soon! 🙂
I’m not taking any chances tonight – we’re going with a tried and true recipe I know will deliver. This shrimp with spicy garlic sauce is an awesome weeknight dish not only because it’s delicious but also because it can made be in about 5 minutes. That’s not an exaggeration, this is seriously one of the easiest recipes ever! Most of the ingredients are pantry staples for me too so I usually just have to buy the shrimp and I’m good to go. Though I chose to photograph it alone here, the shrimp is great served with rice or you could even stir-fry some veggies first and then toss them in with the shrimp and sauce at the end.
Oh, and as for the heat factor here… I’ve said it a million times, but I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food. I usually halve the amount of chili garlic sauce in this recipe and it’s perfect for me (read: not very spicy).
Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce
barely adapted from Appetite for China
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
pinch black pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Whisk the soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, sherry, and sugar together in a small bowl. Add the oil and garlic to a large skillet and set over medium to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring almost constantly, just until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until pink and cooked through. Add the sauce to the pan and toss to coat the shrimp. Season with pepper. Serve as is or with rice – garnish individual plates with the scallions.
I love the color of these! I have a ton of shrimp in the fridge so I think this is happening very soon.
I love how simple this is! I’m sorry you hare having a not-so-lucky-week in the kitchen. I have been having too many of those lately. I love the sound of this shrimp!
Aw, I’ve been there on those weeks when nothing turns out right! This shrimp looks absolutely delicious though. Love that sauce!
I love this dish! Shrimp is one of my favorites! Sorry youre having a bad week, been there, so disappointing..things will look up soon! 🙂
I am totally going through that right now–lots of so-so recipes. I may have to resort to writing about things I’ve made before so I can get out of my blogging slump. =)
I don’t like shrimp, but I’m thinking I could use this same sauce for some chicken. I wonder if the girls would eat it. =)
Looks super tasty.
LOL…I had no idea you had failures that didn’t end up on this blog!! I just assumed you made everything perfectly every single time and we all got to enjoy the photos and write-ups as a matter of course. This looks marvelous!
This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing! My husband loves shrimp so we’re going to have to give this one a try soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.blogspot.com
Oh no! I had a few recipes like that last weekend…they were okay and I could eat them but they certainly weren’t blogworthy! This shrimp with garlic sauce sounds awesome though…totally big on flavor!
shrimp with a kick gotta like it
Simply spectacular. I need to buy shrimp… Thanks!
I’ve definitely been there with the recipe let downs. In fact last week was particularly disappointing. But this week is already off to a better start. I tried your spinach artichoke stuffed Portobello mushrooms (minus the mushrooms and baked in a gratin dish)…so delicious!!
We love shrimp and eat it a couple of times a week. This looks like a perfect weeknight meal. 5 minutes sounds good to me!
oh no!! What were your fails? I can’t even picture you having a fail! 🙂
Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole’s Chatter is collecting links to dishes using garlic. I do hope you link this in. This is the link . Please do check out some of the other links – there are a lot of good ones already. Cheers
mama mia !