Honey Walnut Shrimp... Just like takeout!

By Stephanie Seaberg, Resident since 2010

Idon’t know about you, but growing up I was never allowed to order the honey walnut shrimp whenever we went out for Chinese food. It was usually the most expensive thing on the menu and the portions were never really enough for the whole table. It’s a crunchy fried shrimp dish in a creamy sweet sauce topped with candied walnuts and scallions. It never occurred to me until recently just how easy it is to make these rich delights right at home. And oddly enough, no honey in it at all. Now, I will admit that there is a little bit of corner cutting involved. But if you don’t mind buying store-bought, pre-fried shrimp, you can have this highly addictive dish on the table in 30 minutes or less. Serve this with a big bowl of white rice and get ready to wow your friends.

Honey Walnut Prawns

Serves: 4

Time: 30 min

You will need;

• 1 pound of cooked frozen pre-fried shrimp (I used Great American Seafood Import in the frozen fish section)

• 2/3 C. Frying oil such as vegetable corner or canola

For the candied walnuts:

• 1 C. Walnut halves

• 1/3 C. Water

• 1/3 C. White sugar

For the sauce:

• 2/3 C. Real Mayo

• 2-3 TBS sweetened condensed milk

• (add more if you want it a little sweeter)

• 2 tsp Fresh lemon juice

• 2 Dashes garlic powder

• Salt and Pepper

• Green onion, garnish (optional)

Putting it together:

Begin by preparing the candied walnuts. These can be made a few days in advance. In a small sauce pan, bring the water to a boil and add the sugar. Back the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes which will create a syrup. After 10 minutes, stir in the walnuts until fully coated and pour onto parchment paper to cool. (Be sure to use parchment paper. If you use a plate or cutting board to cool, the walnuts will stick to the surface and become a nightmare to clean).

Next is the shrimp sauce. In a medium size bowl, whisk the mayo, sweet condensed milk, and lemon juice together until well blended. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the frying oil using a medium heat. Carefully place the shrimp in the hot oil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown, then flip over for another two minutes. Watch them very carefully so they don’t overcook. Remove the shrimp to a paper towel to drain off excess oil. Transfer the hot shrimp to the sauce bowl along with the walnuts and toss in the sauce until well coated. Garnish with green onion and serve with white rice.

Stephanie Seaberg has lived in the East Bay for the last 30 years, and is a SRVHS Alumni. Steph is a play-writer and director for Theater Performance Workshop, KAOS Camp, and Golden Oak Montessori. Steph lives for cooking, theater, photography, travel, and singing.