Shrimp Fried Rice

Look out local takeout restaurants – you’ve got a tough competitor lurking in this bowl of deliciousness right here. Ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce add a depth of flavor to this Shrimp Fried Rice that will have you forgetting you’re eating a wholesome, well balanced dinner.

This meal has been on repeat in the F household for awhile now. First off- because it’s so good. Secondly- because all the ingredients needed can hang around your freezer, refrigerator, or pantry for weeks. Throw that hand up if you have the best intentions to cook at home all week buying all the fresh ingredients on Sunday, only to be smacked by the crazy fairy on Monday and all ‘meal planning’ goes to hell in a handbag and those local takeouts are knocking, literately, at your front door. Then by next Monday, your protein is slimy and vegetables are wilted. Whomp. Whooooomp. Frozen shrimp and peas keep for months. Carrots and onions stay good for weeks. And, that brown rice can sit in your pantry for a good year. Problem. Solved.

Every time I make this, I change something up. And every time I think…. that was a TON of steps for a simple meal. So, after plenty of trials, here we are- the quickest, healthiest Shrimp Stir Fry around.

Throw all the marinade ingredients into the blender to eliminate all that wasted time chopping. This was a game changer guys – these shrimpies were the BEST yet. Hence, why I’m finally sharing it with you all. Hope you love it as much as we do!

Shrimp Fried Rice

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Ingredients

  

• 1 lb raw shrimp thawed if frozen

Shrimp Marinade

• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• juice of 1 lime ~2 Tbsp
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce reduced sodium
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Fried Rice

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves chopped or pressed
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 4 cups brown rice cooked
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce reduced sodium
• 1 Tbsp honey

Instructions

 

• Throw all marinade ingredients into a blender and puree. Combine shrimp and marinade in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 8 hours.
• Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Place shrimp and marinade in skillet and cook shrimp until firm and pink. Two to 4 minutes per side depending on the size. Remove shrimp from skillet with tongs - leaving remaining marinade in the skillet.
• Add 1 Tbsp oil to skillet with remaining marinade. Heat and then add carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute until soft.
• Add brown rice and frozen peas. Stirring to brown the rice and thaw the peas.
• Drizzle soy sauce and honey over the rice and stir. Add back shrimp and serve.

Notes

Other Thoughts:

• Choose tamari instead of soy sauce for all my gluten free eaters out there.
• I keep a tube of pureed, fresh ginger in my refrigerator. Sure its not 'fresh' - all my chef friends are probably cringing right now. But, the time saver is everything.
• Make your brown rice 1-4 days ahead of time. (Instant Pressure Cooker ftw) Even faster prep and it actually tastes better with old rice. It absorbs more flavor and crisps up beautifully.

How-to-Use:

Athletes: Emerging research out there about endurance athletes, GI tolerance, and FODMAPs (more on this another post, if you're interested) - following a lower FODMAP diet may improve GI symptoms associated with long endurance efforts. Onions and garlic are high in FODMAPs. A simple swap is to eliminate the onions and use the green ends of green onions in the marinade and top with chopped (just the green ends) green onions at the end. And, use less garlic. Perhaps 1 clove in marinade and 1 in the rice dish.

Healthy Eating: Nothing I love more than healthy food that tastes better than the less healthy alternative! This meal has the perfect balance of whole grains, lean protein, and veggies all in one bowl. Ta-Da!!!

Kids: It's always great to eat as a family and offer the same foods to the whole family. That being said, if this is a new food for your kid, have another item at dinner that you know your kid will eat. Like apple slices or grapes. This encourages them to try dinner with the family but have something they will eat, the fruit, if they aren't feeling adventurous.