A quick and easy stir-fry recipe, Thai Basil Shrimp is full of flavor and ready in just 15 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights!
My four year old loves shrimp. He literally can’t get enough of it and orders it every time we go out to eat. Lucky for me, shrimp is not only an excellent source of lean protein but it is extremely fast cooking!
Since buying fresh seafood isn’t always realistic, I like to keep a bag in the freezer to pull out on busy weeknights when I don’t know what to make for dinner. This Thai Basil Shrimp Stir-Fry is the result of one such evening. Made with a sweet, tangy and gingery basil sauce, every bite is packed with fresh flavors that transport your tastebuds to Thailand.
We love serving it over brown rice but it’s also great in lettuce cups or wrapped with toasted seaweed sheets. If you don’t have shrimp on hand simply swap out chicken or pork. Either way, dinner will be ready in 15 minutes.
Your chopsticks are waiting.
Thai Basil Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 red bell peppers (seeded and sliced)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup shredded Thai basil (or Italian basil)
- ¼ cup minced scallions
Instructions
- Pre-heat a large wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper and spray pan with cooking spray. Saute shrimp until they turn pink, turning once, about 90 seconds per side. Be careful not to overcook. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
- To the hot wok, at the bell peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes or until they start to soften.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the next six ingredients (soy sauce through chili paste) and pour into the pan with the peppers. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Add the shrimp back to the pan and saute until warmed through, about 60 seconds. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lime juice, basil and scallions before serving.
too salty
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this. You can always add in more veggies to combat that!
Add a squeeze of lemon or lime will take away the salty and make the dish perfect
That’s a great idea! Cilantro or basil too!
Sue, you make some assumptions about what Americans buy and eat. I have no trouble at all going to Trader Joe’s and getting a bag of “Wild caught shrimp” from Patagonia. The shrimp are large and great for this recipe (which I made last night) or for scewers and barbecuing.
Thank you Kevin. :) I agree. :) We love wild caught shrimp!
I NEVER write reviews or comments but … bomb.com my husband only eats this dish called the amazing lover from Thai Basil here in our town and boy his standards are tall! I tempura battered and fried some wild duck breast I had marinating in teriyaki and added some pineapple and cashews with the veggies before adding back the shrimp…. awesome thanks for taking the time to try and post this delicious recipe ! Besos!
Wow this makes me so happy!!!! Thank you so much for your sweet words!! I have a ton of other amazing Asian recipes you should check out: https://thelemonbowl.com/asian/
Thanks again!
“Sue” is a first class wingnut!! ????…and Liz you rock and are not flippant. Carry on!
Thanks for reading Tim – hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out so well I started exploring your website and have found many more I can’t wait to make. Thank you!!
Oh I’m so glad!! Let me know if you try any other recipes!
I bought some Thai basil at the Asian market…..I really love all basil…. and thought I’d try this recipe. It was absolutely delicious and since I’m doing Weight Watchers this was perfect at only 2 smart points. I made a half recipe so now I have enough for lunch tomorrow as well!. I put it over organic whole brown short grain rice. Very yummy for my tummy.
Oh my gosh I LOVE Thai Basil!!I grow it every summer!!
I tried this wuth sub agave for sugar and sub sweet peppers for bell peppers due to food intolerances. Still tasty
So glad you enjoyed it!
She’s not promoting the use of farmed shrimp. Clearly, she isn’t interested in making a political statement out of a recipe suggestion, but if you are, you should start your own blog and let people use theirs as they wosh.
Thank you so much Elizabeth. I appreciate your support. :)
Eating is a political act. And choosing food that is healthy for both people and the environment, does not use slave labor and is not exported from a far away location making it even less sustainable does matter.
I do have a blog and website, and I use it to help educate people about the food they eat. I seek collaboration with food bloggers who believe in healthy food that is good for the planet and the people who produce it.
Farmed shrimp/fish produce toxic pools of chemicals that are absorbed by the shrimp and leach out into the surrounding open waters. Almost 75% of farmed shrimp in the US comes from SE Asia and it was revealed earlier this year that most of it is produced by children and people who are indentured to the processors, working for little to no money.
Now why would anyone not want to educate and encourage American consumers to eat healthy food that supports American producers?
I live in Wilmington, NC where the shrimp is caught off our coast & I purchase from a cooler in the back of a pickup truck along the side of the road. Local & supporting local people. Not all shrimp is bad!
That’s the truth!
I am absolutely making this dish. I have been finding frozen wild shrimp on sale at my grocery store or pick up when at Costco…yes more expensive than chicken or pork but such a treat since we don’t eat it every week. You are inspiring me to make a little Asian section in my fridge & pantry so I can make easy Asian recipes like this, you always make great ones!!!
Thank you so much my sweet friend!! Let me know how you like it!! xoxo
Love love love anything Thai, especially when it involves shrimp! This looks like the perfect easy dinner!!
Thank you so much Marina!!
Doesn’t matter what type of shrimp you use – recipe remains the same. :) Enjoy!
The source of our food certainly does matter, and I am sorry you chose to be flippant about the health of our planet, the quality of the food you purchase and the use of slaves to produce your food. I am a bit shocked that as a parent you would view this as a joke.
Don’t worry – I will unsubscribe and you won’t hear from me again, nor will I share your blog or recipes.
Sue, please understand that I am simply wishing to share healthy recipes and not looking to bring politics into the mix. Unfortunately, if I were to avoid using recipes with food products that had controversy surrounding them there would be absolutely nothing left for me to cook. Please understand that this blog is how I provide a living for my children. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
I’d have to do this with something other than shrimp, but whatever I use, the recipe sounds great. The most important thing would be to find some decent fish sauce (I had some that I got from our local Asian grocery and it was awful, to put it mildly. Must find some good Thai fish sauce).
It’s really really good with pork tenderloin as well as chicken breasts!