Honey walnut shrimp is a popular dish that is often found on Chinese takeout menus. But did you know that it’s not a traditional Chinese dish? It’s believed to have originated in the United States in the 1980s or 1990s.
Despite its non-traditional origins, honey walnut shrimp is a delicious dish that is made with crispy shrimp, sweet and savory sauce, and crunchy candied walnuts. It’s a perfect dish for a special occasion or a simple weeknight meal.
Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 piece shrimp (size 26-30, deveined, de-shelled)
- 0.25 tsp salt (for shrimp)
- 3 oz walnuts
- 2 tbsp honey
- sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Sugar Syrup (optional alternative to Honey)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Sauce
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Batter
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 0.50 egg
- 7 tbsp water
- 2 tsp corn oil
Instruction
Step 1: Prepare shrimp
- Assuming you’re starting with peeled, deveined shrimp (20 piece) (which is what my dad recommends), cut each shrimp in half lengthwise. This will help result in a more beautiful, crunchy fry.
- In a bowl, mix salt (0.25 tsp) with the shrimp.
Step 2: Prepare sauce
- In a bowl, we’ll mix mayonnaise (4 tbsp), sweetened condensed milk (3 tbsp), and lemon juice (2 tsp).
Step 3: Prepare batter
- In a bowl, we’ll beat our egg(s).
- In another bowl, we’ll mix all purpose flour (4 tbsp), cornstarch (2 tbsp), baking powder (2 tsp), corn oil (2 tsp), water (7 tbsp), and the portion of eggs that we need.
- We’ll mix until the consistency is smooth. You may need to add dashes of water to get it to the consistency that you want, which is like a thin pancake batter.
Step 4: Prepare sugar syrup (optional)
- If you don’t have honey, or don’t want to use honey for whatever reason, you can go with the restaurant route.
- Add sugar (3 tbsp) and water (2 tbsp) to a bowl and stir. Then, we’ll be microwaving it several times: 60 seconds, 30 seconds. 30 seconds
- Between each round of microwaving, we’ll be stirring the sugar.
- Once we’re done and the sugar has cooled and hardened into a syrup consistency, we’re done.
Step 5: Heat oil, fry walnuts
- We’ll fill a pan or wok with enough oil to submerge the walnuts, and heat it to around 300° F (148° C).
- Then, we’ll fry our walnuts (3 oz) twice, once to cook them, a second time to make them crunchier.
- #1 – Fry for 3-4 minutes. Scoop the walnuts out with a strainer ladle, and let the oil reheat to 300° F (148° C).
- #2 – Mix the walnuts with the honey (2 tbsp) (or sugar syrup). Fry for about 2 minutes. Scoop out the walnuts.
- If you can, you’ll want to monitor the temperature of the oil. We don’t want to let the walnuts cook in oil that’s too hot, otherwise they’ll burn.
Step 6: Heat oil, fry shrimp
- Read before you start frying shrimp
- Ideally, for frying the shrimp, you’ll want to use another pan or wok, or clean the pan/wok you were using before frying.
- If you stick with the same container, there will be some charred honey/sugar at the bottom, which will stick onto the shrimp and result in a more muddied look after frying.
- If you’re using a second pan/wok, carefully pour some of the oil from the first pan/wok into the second one, being sure not to let any of the honey/sugar pour in.
How to tell if the oil is hot enough
- When you drop the batter into the oil, if it floats immediately, then the oil is hot enough. If the batter instantly turns golden brown, the oil is actually too hot.
- Another way to monitor the temperature is with an instant-read thermometer.
Step 7: Plate and garnish
- Mix and coat the shrimp with the sauce from earlier, and add the candied walnuts and sesame seeds.
- Call the family over! Time to eat
Saving the crunch
It’s best to eat this immediately or ASAP.
If you’re preparing this as a part of a larger, multi-course meal, you’ll want to mix in the sauce right before you’re about to eat. Over time, the sauce will seep into the crunchy batter, which will reduce some of the amazing crunchiness.
