Fresh shrimp are sometimes hard to find here, so there’s usually a box of frozen ones lurking in the freezer. Chili crisp is a must-have so this was an easy dinner. Serves 4:
Chili Crisp Shrimp and Green Beans
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced through the root
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 ounces green beans or asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, red-pepper flakes, and cumin. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Set aside while you fry the shallots and garlic.
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a heat-proof bowl next to the stove. In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, heat the canola oil, shallot, garlic and cinnamon stick over medium-high. When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the shallots, until golden brown, 5 to 9 minutes. (Lower the heat if the shallots are browning too quickly.) Drain through the sieve, catching the oil in the bowl below. Discard the cinnamon, season the fried shallots and garlic with salt, and set aside*.
Return the oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high. Add the green beans, season with salt and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Push the green beans to one side, then add the shrimp and the marinade, along with the peanuts (if using), and cook until the shrimp is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Stir the green beans and shrimp to combine, then sprinkle with the fried shallots and garlic. Serve immediately, over rice or noodles or in lettuce cups, if desired.
My verdict:
Really good and easy. I made it pretty much as written, but to make it easier, just marinate the shrimp in soy sauce, sugar and cumin and toss in a tablespoon or two of chili crisp. For the shallots and garlic I just use jarred from the Asian market. I thought some ginger would be a good idea and Frank suggested some orange, maybe strips of zest. Because they’re in season, I used some skinny asparagus instead of the green beans.
*I just fished out the fried shallots, garlic and cinnamon stick. Put them on a paper towel-lined plate and tossed the cinnamon. No need for the sieve and bowl.
