Stir-fries are one of the easiest dinners to prepare for a busy weeknight — especially when they involve shrimp, which is one of the fastest-cooking proteins out there. Most people love shrimp and consider it a treat, so this buttery, peppery dish is a lovely reward after a long day at the office.
Inspired by black pepper crab, a Singaporean delicacy, this dish packs a punch due to the amount of pepper. Of course, you can use less pepper or take down the heat a notch by omitting the chile peppers or substituting a milder chile, like a jalapeño or a serrano pepper, instead of the Thai bird’s eye chile.
To save time, we buy peeled, deveined shrimp for this recipe at the fish market, but you can make this with unpeeled shrimp if you are in the mood for a peel-and-eat type of dinner. Round out the menu by serving the shrimp over rice or buttery, garlic noodles, with some crunchy, quickly stir-fried vegetables on the side.
Black Pepper Shrimp
Serves 2 to 3
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup shallots, finely chopped
2 Thai bird’s eye chiles, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup chicken stock or water
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
Scallions and chopped cilantro to garnish
Directions:
- Heat a cast iron skillet or similar heavy bottomed pan and add the butter and oil. Add the garlic, shallots, chiles and black pepper to the pan and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, constantly stirring to make sure the garlic does not burn
- Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and stock and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Garnish with scallions and cilantro and serve.
San Francisco food writers Stacie Dong and Simran Singh’s blog, A Little Yumminess (www.alittleyum.com), focuses on family food adventures and recipes with global flavors.
