Honey Garlic Shrimp Delight (Printable version)

Succulent shrimp glazed with honey and garlic for a speedy, flavorful skillet dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Shrimp

01 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
03 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Sauce

04 - ⅓ cup honey
05 - ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
08 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (optional)
09 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

→ For Cooking and Garnish

10 - 1 tablespoon vegetable or sesame oil
11 - 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
12 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
13 - Steamed rice or cooked noodles, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Whisk honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; set aside.
02 - Pat shrimp dry and season evenly with salt and black pepper.
03 - Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
04 - Place shrimp in a single layer and cook 1–2 minutes per side until pink; avoid overcrowding by working in batches if necessary.
05 - Pour sauce over shrimp, stir to coat, and cook 2–3 minutes until sauce thickens and shrimp are fully cooked.
06 - Remove from heat and sprinkle with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
07 - Serve immediately with steamed rice or noodles.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you can boil water, yet tastes like you've been simmering for hours.
  • The sweet-salty-garlicky glaze is deeply satisfying without a single heavy cream or butter in sight.
  • It's the kind of weeknight dinner that actually feels special enough to serve to guests.
02 -
  • Overcooking shrimp by even a minute turns them rubbery and sad; they should still have a tiny bit of translucence in the very center when you pull them off the heat.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks separated, it usually means your heat was too high or you walked away too long—just add a splash of water and keep stirring and it'll come back together.
  • Mise en place is your friend here; have everything measured and ready before the pan gets hot, because once the shrimp starts cooking, you have almost no time to think.
03 -
  • If you buy frozen shrimp, thaw them overnight in the fridge and pat them completely dry; they'll sear better and taste fresher than shrimp that's been thawing in water.
  • Make the sauce the night before and store it in a jar—it actually tastes better after the flavors have married overnight, and you'll be even more grateful when dinner time comes around.
  • Keep the heat at medium-high, not blazing high; you want the shrimp to sear gently and the sauce to bubble and thicken without burning at the edges.
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