This post is all about how to make a Shrimp Fried Rice that is way better than take-out.
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Published January 17, 2022
Updated March 23, 2022
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Who doesn’t love fried rice? And then add some freshly cooked jumbo shrimp on top, and whamo… the most delicious dinner that earned four stars from the Riske Kid Review Board. This Shrimp Fried Rice recipe hits it out of the park when you want to save some money, are stuck at home, and you crave a bit of take-out.
I lost taste and smell
Last week, after feeling literally awful since Christmas, Tyler bought a few at-home tests and I tested positive for covid-19. I’d say that was a success, nearly two years of not getting it, with our three kids in school and my husband working.
Y’all… I had been to the doctor literally eight days before this and tested negative for covid AND strep and was given a ten-day antibiotic for a severe sinus infection.
Three days into my antibiotic regimen, I felt amazing and then two days after the sickness hit me like a freight train. But, enough about that stuff, I am happy to say that after literally two weeks off of cooking for lack of energy, this lady is back in the kitchen!
At least now that I am cooking again the food will taste good because I am an avid taste-tester while cooking. The last six days I lost my taste and smell completely. It was bizarre!
What makes this recipe work?
Do you like take-out and particularly fried rice? Do you like easy meals that taste legit? Then this meal is for you! Start to finish, this fried rice took me twenty minutes. It was flavorful, cooked to perfection, easy to make, and ridiculously inexpensive compared to restaurant costs. Our kids had seconds and were fighting over the shrimp like they had never eaten them before.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love shrimp as much as the next guy, but if you want to omit them go right ahead! You could also use chicken.
I went ahead and did an online search for shrimp fried rice in my area. Mind you, we live in a small town and most restaurants will not deliver to us, so I used a larger city in my area as reference. P.F. Chang’s is a restaurant that does dine in, pickup and delivery. Their side of shrimp fried rice is $12.99!
Another restaurant in our local area is GingeRootz. Their shrimp fried rice is $14.00 for a serving.
For a third option, here is a random choice out of Chicago, at Big Bowl where their shrimp fried rice is $17.95.
Either way, fried rice is just delicious and a win for dinner any time. We had mushrooms and broccoli that needed to be eaten, so I busted out my recipe for Broccoli Mushroom stir fry. It is delicious and super quick and easy! Plus, making this stir fry in addition to the fried rice helped to balance the meal and increase the volume. Four kids eat a lot of food. Click the link below for my full recipe.
Another reason this recipe is just the best is because I use jumbo raw shrimp. I buy it frozen and deveined and remove the shells off myself when the shrimps are thawed. Instead, using raw shrimp, you get 100% control over how cooked they become. These shrimp, when cooked at home, are not rubbery or chewy. Shrimp, when cooked after being raw, are more delicious and can soak up the flavor of the meal you are making.
If you have never bought raw shrimp with their shells on, I highly recommend it. Removing the shells does not take much effort, but the results of cooking them in a from scratch meal far outweighs the work involved. Just make sure to rinse them and check for those veins to be fully removed.
If you do not have a wok, I highly recommend getting one as they can be used for so many different recipes and meals.
Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients for Shrimp Fried Rice
2 cups brown or white rice, cooked
1 onion
1 shallot
4 garlic cloves
1 bag mixed vegetables, frozen
1/2 cup stock
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp oil
Directions for Shrimp Fried Rice
1. Cook rice according to its package directions. We had 2 cups brown rice and 1 cup white rice and did a blend. When using brown rice, place the rice in the pot and fill with water to just the top of the rice. Carefully swoosh the water around to clean it and pour out the water, doing this 2-3 times or until the water is clear.
2. Warm a wok and then add 1 Tbsp oil. The oil is heated and ready when it ripples and is almost smoking.
3. On a cutting board, dice the shallot and onion and add them to the hot wok and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes.
4. Dice garlic clove and add it to the wok, stir and cook until fragrant.
5. Pour 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables into the wok and then cook for 2-4 minutes.
6. Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp ground ginger to the wok and then stir. Feel free to add additional soy sauce if desired for a moister Fried Rice.
7. Add 1/2 cup stock to the wok and then stir to combine.
8. If using shrimp, add them to cook now, stirring until fully cooked.
Make sure to peel the shells off of the shrimp and remove tails if you have them on still. I have found that buying shell-on raw shrimp is much cheaper than buying shelled shrimp or even cooked shrimp. The extra twenty minutes to remove the shells and tails really helps to add to recipes.
9. Remove shrimp when they are pink and cooked. The reason to use raw shrimp and cook them in the pot is to add flavor to the shrimp. Plus, they do not get over cooked if they are raw. I buy them deveined and shell on and frozen. I thaw them and remove the shells myself. Honestly, this cuts the cost of the shrimp in such a big way.
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10. Use a spatula and move the vegetables and onions to the side of the pan, creating a well. Crack 2 eggs into the middle of the pan and cook to scrambled. Mix the egg into the vegetables and add rice to the wok.
11. Replace shrimp to the wok.
12. Top with sliced green onion.
Serve with sesame seeds and enjoy!
~Monica
Tyler was able to get leftovers for lunch the next day, plus I had some broccoli and mushroom stir fry and rice leftover. Sam and Matthew had multiple servings, Levi and Elliana fought over who could eat the most shrimp. This meal was easy to cook, full of flavor and so delicious. We did not have much for leftovers after dinner!
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This post was all about how to make a Shrimp Fried Rice that is better than take-out.
~Monica
Shrimp Fried Rice
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Wok
Ingredients
- 1 cups Rice brown OR white
- 1 Onion
- 1 Shallot
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 bag Mixed Vegetables frozen
- 1/2 cup Stock
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Oil
Instructions
- Cook rice according to directions, making sure it is fully cooked and tender before adding to the Wok.
- Warm a wok and then add 1 Tbsp oil.
- Dice shallot and onion and then add them to the hot wok cooking until tender, 3-5 minutes.
- Dice garlic clove and then add it to the wok, stir and cook until fragrant.
- Add 1/2 cup stock to the wok, then stir to combine.
- Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tsp ground ginger to the wok and then stir.
- Pour 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables into the wok and cook for 2-4 minutes.
- If using shrimp, add them to cook now, stirring until fully cooked.
- Remove shrimp when they are pink and cooked.
- Use a spatula and move the vegetables and onions to the side of the pan, creating an empty circle in the middle.
- Crack 2 eggs into the middle of the pan and then cook to scrambled and mix the egg into the vegetables and add rice to the wok.
- Finally, replace shrimp to the wok and stir to blend.
- Top with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
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