Here’s one of my favorite shrimp recipes. It’s light & flavorful, a real crowd pleaser. I came up with this recipe years ago, when the kids were all younger & still home. I don’t remember who came up with the name, but we all agreed it was a fun one. It may be the only main dish recipe I make that has no garlic! I did try it that way once, but we all agreed it was actually better without. I think that’s because the leek flavor is so delicate.
This comes together pretty quickly once you start cooking, so you’ll want to have all your ingredients chopped & measured before that. Of course, the amount of time it takes will be dependent on how much shrimp you’re using compared to the size of the pan you use. You don’t want to crowd the shrimp, or it will steam instead of brown. Steaming is fine, in its place, but here you’ll want that yummy browning – so plan on cooking your shrimp in batches.
I know many people wash leeks the same way they wash carrots – just the outside. That’s probably fine most of the time, but it happens pretty often that dirt gets in between the layers. So it’s worth splitting them & washing between the layers, too.
You can grate the ginger if you like, but a quarter of a cup of ginger is a lot to grate. I much prefer to use my Mini-Mate.
You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, divided
4 large leeks
1½ lbs. shrimp
¼ cup minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Hot water to deglaze the pan
Preparation:
1.) Get all your ingredients ready. Thaw, shell, & de-vein the shrimp. Chop off & discard the dark portions of the leeks (or save for the next time you make broth). Split the leeks lengthwise, and spread the layers a bit to wash them.
Split once more lengthwaise, then chop.
2.) Peel & mince the ginger, measure the olive oil, and have the soy & pepper at hand, with their measuring spoons. You might go ahead & start your rice here, too.
3.) Heat half the oil in a large skillet over high heat, until a bit of smoke appears. Add the leeks. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the leeks dry out and begin to brown, 10 minutes. Remove from skillet; set aside.
4.) Add some of the remaining oil to pan, & let it heat up. Cook your first batch of shrimp over medium-high heat, stirring every minute or so, until shrimp are just pink, 3 minutes. Remove. Repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the shrimp.
5.) Turn heat down to medium. Sprinkle the ginger in the pan, adding a little extra oil if needed. Cook briefly, stirring, until ginger is aromatic. Be careful not to let it burn.
6.) Stir in the soy sauce, scraping up all those yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add a little hot water if you need to. Not much, because your leeks will have some juices, and you don’t want it to be runny.
7.) Return the leeks and shrimp to the pan; mix. Serve over rice.
Leeky Shrimp
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil, divided
4 large leeks
1½ lbs. shrimp
¼ cup minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Hot water to deglaze the pan
Directions
1.) Get all your ingredients ready. Thaw, shell, & de-vein the shrimp. Chop off & discard the dark portions of the leeks (or save for the next time you make broth). Split the leeks lengthwise, and spread the layers a bit to wash them. Split once more lengthwaise, then chop.
2.) Peel & mince the ginger, measure the olive oil, and have the soy & pepper at hand, with their measuring spoons. You might go ahead & start your rice here, too.
3.) Heat half the oil in a large skillet over high heat, until a bit of smoke appears. Add the leeks. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the leeks dry out and begin to brown, 10 minutes. Remove from skillet; set aside.
4.) Add some of the remaining oil to pan, & let it heat up. Cook your first batch of shrimp over medium-high heat, stirring every minute or so, until shrimp are just pink, 3 minutes. Remove. Repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the shrimp.
5.) Turn heat down to medium. Sprinkle the ginger in the pan, adding a little extra oil if needed. Cook briefly, stirring, until ginger is aromatic. Be careful not to let it burn.
6.) Stir in the soy sauce, scraping up all those yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add a little hot water if you need to. Not much, because your leeks will have some juices, and you don’t want it to be runny.
7.) Return the leeks and shrimp to the pan; mix. Serve over rice.
julienne.red 