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Honey Walnut Shrimp

Better Than Takeout Honey Walnut Shrimp Made Easy and Healthier at Home

by Shirley
Published: Last Updated on
Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}

Honey Walnut Shrimp is one of the most popular Chinese takeout food. It features juicy, savory pan-fried shrimp tossed in the honey mayonnaise sauce. This super delicious shrimp is then mixed with candied walnuts to complete the flavor and texture. Just add freshly made rice and a vegetable dish for an extremely satisfying meal.

Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}

How to make Honey Walnut Shrimp from Scratch?

At a higher level, you will make the candied walnut, and pan fry the shrimp respectively. After that, make a sauce to mix the shrimp. Last but not least is to garnish the shrimp with candied walnut and chopped scallion.

Honey Walnut Shrimp Ingredients

Large white shrimp, peeled and deveined, work the best for this recipe. Don’t worry if you are getting shelled shrimp like I do today. I’ll show you how to de-shell and devein the shrimp.

For marinating the shrimp, I use a pinch of Himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika.

I use egg and water-milled sweet rice flour to coat the marinated shrimp for pan frying.

The water-milled sweet rice flour is gluten-free and super smooth. It is the same sweet rice flour I use for making super yummy and soft Red Bean Sweet Rice Flour Dumplings, Pork Sweet Rice Flour Dumplings, and Red Bean Mochi Soup.

The delicious sauce is coming from organic honey, mayonnaise, and organic heavy cream.

Last but not least is the homemade candied walnuts, which use simple ingredients such as raw walnut halves, sugar in the raw, and a tiny pinch of Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper. Make this in advance to save some time.

How to make candied walnuts at home?

It is easier than you thought to make candied walnut at home. The first thing first is to dry roast the walnut in a Wok. Then burn the sugar just right to wrap the roasted walnut around. If you’d like and prefer, sprinkle some roasted white sesame seeds. Read here for a detailed step-by-step guided recipe.

Candied walnuts {Easy Yummy Chinese Style}
Candied walnuts {Easy Yummy Chinese Style}

How to Clean, Devein, and Marinate Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp?

I use large white shrimp, which needs to be de-shelled and de-veined.

If the shrimp you’ve got still have shells, gently peel off the shell. For the tail part, while your fingers hold the tip of the tail shell, yank firmly while gently in small intervals back and forth, the shell shall come off easily.

Shrimp has two veins, one on the back and one on the belly. Most grocery stores devein the back one. To devein the belly one, hold the shrimp vertically in your left hand, or less dominant hand, and use a knife to slit where the vein is. Then use your fingers to pull out the vein.

If you need to de-vein the back vein as well, you can apply a similar technique.

Once you have de-shelled and de-veined all shrimp, wash and rinse them well and pat dry with a paper towel. Place them on a large plate and add a pinch of Himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper, and paprika. Toss and mix well, and set aside.

Marinating de-shelled and de-veined shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
Marinating de-shelled and de-veined shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp

How to Pan Fry Shrimp to Make a Delicious Honey Walnut Shrimp?

Tip No.1 is to The helpful tip is to coat the marinated shrimp with egg liquid and sweet rice flour

Place sweet rice flour and whisked egg liquid in a shallow bowl, respectively. Grab one shrimp at a time, first quickly dip it into egg liquid and then in the sweet rice flour, on both sides and then place it onto a plate.

Coat marinated shrimp with egg liquid and sweet rice flour
Coat marinated shrimp with egg liquid and sweet rice flour

Repeat until you have completed all marinated shrimp. You will notice shrimp still somewhat semi-wet after the first coating. Don’t worry. We are going to do a second round of coating to make it powdery for the best frying results. We will do this right before you place the shrimp in the frying pan.

Marinated and Coated Shrimp for Pan-Frying
Marinated and Coated Shrimp for Pan-Frying

Once you’ve completed the first coating, do the second round of coating. Grab one shrimp at a time, quickly dab the shrimp in the sweet rice flour on both sides and place it onto another dry & clean plate.

Re-coat shrimp with sweet rice flour right before pan-frying
Re-coat shrimp with sweet rice flour right before pan-frying

Tip No.2 is to pan-fry the shrimp is just the right amount of oil in a quality nonstick frying pan

Turn the heat to medium-high and heat a 12-inch hard-anodized non-stick fry pan for 2 minutes. Then turn the heat to medium and add 1 cup of avocado oil. Add the shrimp to the pan, try to lay them flat, one at a time, and cook for 2 minutes.

Pan Frying Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
Pan Frying Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp

Then flip the shrimp starting from the very first one you placed on the pan and cook the other side for 1 minute. Flip again and cook for an additional 1 minute, or till the shrimp has changed color, the meat firmed up and the sweet rice becomes crispy.

The cooking time is obviously determined by the size of the shrimp. Larger ones require a longer time to cook.

Pan Fry Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
Pan Fry Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp

Remove the shrimp from the frying pan using a pair of kitchen chopsticks or tongs, and place them on a plate.

Pan Fried Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
Pan Fried Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp

How to make a tasty honey mayonnaise sauce for the iconic Honey Walnut Shrimp Dish?

Add honey, mayonnaise, and heavy cream into a mixing bowl and whisk to mix well using a mini egg whisk.

Honey Mayonnaise Sauce for Honey Walnut Shrimp
Honey Mayonnaise Sauce for Honey Walnut Shrimp

Add the pan-fried shrimp into the mixing bowl, toss, and mix well with the sauce using a pair of bamboo utensils.

Mix the pan fried shrimp with the sauce
Mix the pan-fried shrimp with the sauce

Place the honey shrimp on a serving plate, top with candied walnuts, and garnish with chopped green onions.

Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}
Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}

All done! Enjoy a super delicious and satisfying Honey Walnut Shrimp.

Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}
Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}
Honey Walnut Shrimp {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}

Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe {Easy Delicious Healthy Way}

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Honey Walnut Shrimp is one of the most popular Chinese takeout food. It features juicy, savory pan-fried shrimp tossed in the honey mayonnaise sauce. This super delicious shrimp is then mixed with candied walnuts to complete the flavor and texture. Just add freshly made rice and a vegetable dish for an extremely satisfying meal.

Ingredients

For Candied Walnuts, see notes.

  • 2 cups of raw walnut haves, about 165 g
  • 1/8 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt, or salt of your choice
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, also known as "Sugar in the Raw"
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds

For Marinating the Shrimp:

  • 1 lb large white shrimp, de-shelled and de-veined
  • 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika

For Coating the Shrimp:

  • 1 large egg, cage-free or organic
  • 1/2 cup water-milled sweet rice flour

For Pan Frying the Shrimp:

  • 1 cup avocado oil

For the Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp honey, raw organic preferred
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream, organic preferred

For Garnishing:

  • 1 stalk of green onion, finely chopped

Instructions

Gather all ingredients:

Honey Walnut Shrimp Ingredients

Make Candied Walnuts In advance:

  • Turn the heat to medium-high and heat a cast iron wok for 2 minutes then add the walnut, and sprinkle the salt, and black pepper. Spread out evenly along the side of the wok and let it cook for 2 minutes. Following that, turn the heat to low and use a pair of bamboo or wooden spatulas no stop tossing and mix for about another 3 or 4 minutes, or til you notice some walnuts start to show burn marks.
    Roasting Walnuts Using a Wok
  • Turn off the heat, remove the walnut from the wok and set aside.
    Roasted Walnuts {Quick Easy Way}
  • Add the turbinado sugar to the hard-anodized fry pan, spread out evenly in a thin layer, and then drop the 2 tbsp water in the middle. Let the water slowly flow to the rim. Do not touch the sugar from this point on.
    a thin layer of sugar and drops of water in the hard anodized pan
  • Turn the heat to medium and let it cook for about 5-6 minutes. Remember not to touch the sugar during the process. It is the key to have crystal sheer appearance of the candy. Otherwise sugar might turn into sandy looking.
  • While waiting, line a pan or a large plate with unbleached parchment paper. This is for holding candied walnuts when it is freshly candied from the pan.
  • When the sugar is bubbling and you notice the edge of the sugar syrup turns amber or dark brown, indicating the sugar is properly burnt and is ready to coat the walnuts.
    Burn the sugar for Candied Nuts
  • Quickly add the roasted walnuts to the pan, and immediately use a pair of wooden spatulas to fold, mix, and wrap the walnut with the sugar syrup in the pan. Sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds in a circular motion on top of the walnuts and continue to wrap and fold, till the walnuts have taken all the sugar syrup in the pan.
  • Turn off the heat, remove the candied walnuts with sesame seeds from the pan and add on the parchment paper, spread out to let it cool.
    cool off freshly made candied walnuts on a non-bleach wax paper

Prep Shrimp:

  1. De-shell and de-vein the shrimp. Make sure the shrimp is de-vined on both the back and the belly for best appearance and taste. Usually the so called "de-vined" shrimp of store-bought are only devined on the back, but not on the belly. Use a knife to slice on the belly and devine the belly.
    devine the shrimp
  2. Wash and rinse a few times and pat dry with a paper towel, and place them on a large plate. Add 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper, and paprika respectively. Toss and mix well, and set aside.
    Marinating de-shelled and de-veined shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
  3. Place water-milled sweet rice flour and whisked egg liquid in a shallow bowl, respectively. Grab one shrimp at a time, first quickly dip it into egg liquid and then in the sweet rice flour, on both sides, and then place it onto a plate.
    Coat marinated shrimp with egg liquid and sweet rice flour
  4. Repeat until you have completed all marinated shrimp.
    Marinated and Coated Shrimp for Pan-Frying
  5. Second coating - grab one shrimp at a time, quickly dab it against the sweet rice flour on both sides, and lay it flat on another dry clean plate. Repeat for all shrimps.
    Re-coat shrimp with sweet rice flour right before pan-frying

Pan Fry the Shrimp:

  1. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat a 12-inch hard-anodized non-stick fry pan for 2 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat to medium and add 1 cup of avocado oil. Add the shrimp to the pan, one at a time, lay it flat, cook for about 2 minutes.
    Pan Frying Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
  3. Flip the shrimp starting from the very first shrimp you first put into the pan and cook the other side of the shrimp for about 1 minute, or till you clearly see the shrimp changed color and sweet rice becomes crispy. Larger shrimp may require additional 1 minute.
    Pan Fry Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp
  4. Remove the shrimp from the frying pan using a pair of kitchen chopsticks or tongs, and place them on a plate.
    Pan Fried Shrimp for Honey Walnut Shrimp

Make Honey Mayonnise Sauce:

  1. Add honeymayonnaise, and heavy cream into a mixing bowl and whisk to mix well using a mini egg whisk.
    Mix the pan fried shrimp with the sauce
  2. Place the honey shrimp on a serving plate, top with candied walnuts,, and garnish with chopped green onions.
  3. All done! Enjoy a super delicious and satisfying Honey Walnut Shrimp.
    Honey Walnut Shrimp
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 servings Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 931Total Fat 71gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 57gCholesterol 300mgSodium 1280mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 1gSugar 9gProtein 30g

Nutrition calculation is provided by Nutritionix to the best knowledge per ingredients description and isn't always accurate.

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