Use a Wok or a Skillet With Lots of Surface Area
If you have access to a wok, that is definitely the standard for stir fry recipes, but it’s far from essential. I’ve made stir fries in a variety of skillets over the years. The most important thing is to make sure you have a skillet with a lot of surface area so your ingredients can cook quickly. A large 12-inch skillet or cast-iron skillet will work if you don’t have a wok handy.
What Kind of Shrimp Work Best in a Stir Fry
Whether they’re fresh or frozen, make sure you buy raw (not fully cooked) shrimp. You can get pre-peeled shrimp or peel them yourself before adding them to the skillet. As far as sizing goes, I like large shrimp, which usually come in at 31-35 per pound. This size ensures that they cook quickly, but also aren’t bite-sized so are still nice and juicy in the finished stir fry. Save the jumbo shrimp for shrimp cocktails. They’re too big to work nicely in this stir fry.
Choosing Mushrooms for a Stir Fry
There’s lots of flexibility here. You could use white button mushrooms if that’s what you have, but if you can, try to get cremini mushrooms. They have a little more flavor and hold their texture a bit better in a stir fry. If you wanted to vary the mushrooms, you could add in some shiitake mushrooms. Just don’t add more than a pound of mushrooms to the stir fry or they will overwhelm the shrimp.
A Knock-Your-Pants-Off Stir Fry Sauce
I like to start with some sort of stock as a base for my sauce and season it with fresh ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Then I whisk in cornstarch as my thickener. Once you add the sauce to the hot skillet, it should thicken very quickly and turn silky smooth. If it gets too thick, you can always add water by the tablespoon to thin it out. If you like a thicker sauce, just let it simmer for a minute and it will thicken up.
Personalize It
There are many substitutions you could try for this stir fry if shrimp and mushrooms aren’t your thing, or you wanted to add some other vegetables to the mix.
Vegetables: Snap peas, red peppers, onions, and even slivered carrots.Protein: Chicken, pork, or tofu. Just remember to cook them fully before adding the sauce. Shrimp cook very quickly so you’ll need to adjust cooking time to accommodate a protein switch.Make it spicy: Add some chili garlic sauce or chili oil to the dish at the end for a spicy kick!
Make These Stir Fries on a Busy Weeknight
Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry Spicy Tofu Stir Fry Mushroom Stir Fry with Peas Pork Stir Fry with Green Onion Ginger Beef Stir Fry
1 1/2 cups chicken stock 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Serving and garnish
Cooked white rice, to serve Sesame seeds, for garnish
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