Don’t Let Your Shrimp Dawdle

By Amy Jacobs

Shrimp, snow peas and bell pepper: three simple ingredients that cook quickly to create sweet, crunchy, salty, tender goodness. Swap out the vegetables if you prefer. Try zucchini or boy choy.

Keep it simple but be certain not to overcook the shrimp; keep them moving until they just turn tender and pink.

This easy, one-dish meal takes about 20 minutes to make (10 to prep and another 10 to cook) so you can be out of the kitchen in no time.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
1 pound medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
½ pound snow peas

Whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, ginger, and cornstarch and set aside. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook about 1 minute. Add the red bell pepper and snow peas and cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Rewhisk the soy sauce mixture and add to the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Source: Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD Cofounders, Meal Makeover Moms.com, recipe courtesy of National Fisheries Institute

Amy Jacobs’ passion for cooking was sparked as a small child, eye-level to the countertop, watching her mother and grandmother work magic with a roast. Today, she is head chef of her own home restaurant with her husband Brian and her three boys, James, Robbie and Gus, occupying the chef’s table nightly. Amy is the co-founder, with Brian, of Brick Design a multi-disciplinary design firm specializing in branding and interactive design, and the design firm for Special Fork.

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