Chinese Stir-Fried Ketchup Shrimp

5 from 21 votes

A quick and easy recipe for a classic Chinese stir-fried ketchup shrimp tossed in an easy sweet and sour sauce made with ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.

Prep Time7

Cook Time8

Total Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cantonese, Chinese, Chinese Food

Servings: servings

Calories: 110kcal

Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

12 Shrimp (size: 9/14 or 21/25) (frozen or fresh, peeled or shell-on)
2 stalks green onions
1 small yellow onion (or ¼ of a white onion, sliced approx ½ cup)
5-6 slices ginger (sliced ⅛ thick)
1 clove garlic (approx. 1 tablespoons)

Ketchup Sauce

⅓ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon soy sauce (or fish sauce)
3-4 tablespoons water

Instructions

Prepare the Shrimp

If you are using frozen shrimp, run cold water from the sink to thaw the shrimp.
If you are using shrimp with the heads on, take a pair of scissors and snip the whiskers and the sharp spike on top of its head.
If you prefer peeled shrimp, peel the shrimp and leave the tails on.

Prepare the Aromatics and Sauce

In a small bowl, mix together ⅓ cup ketchup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon soy sauce, and 3-4 tablespoons water and set it aside for later.
Wash the green onions and remove and discard the roots end.
Cut the green onions into 2-inch sections and keep the whites and the greens separated.
Slice the white part of the green onion lengthwise and set it aside.
(Optional) Take a few pieces of green onions, finely mince them as a garnish and set it for the very end.
Slice the ginger ⅛ inch thick, and set it aside
Finely mince the garlic and set it aside

Putting Everything Together

Set the stove to medium-high heat and put a bit of oil in and wait for the oil to get hot and shimmer
Add in the shrimp and stir fry it for about 1-2 minutes.
You want to cook it until it is about 80-90% done
Remove the shrimp and set it aside for later.
Add more oil to the pan and add the ginger and the white part of the green onion, and stir fry it for about 1-2 minutes
Add in the minced garlic and stir fry it for about 1 minute
Add the cooked shrimp, the sweet and sour ketchup sauce, and green onions into the pan and stir-fry it until the sauce thickens. (Approx. 1 minute)
Plate it and sprinkle the minced green onions on top.
Enjoy with a bowl of steamed white rice!

Notes

If you don't like the mess of peeling shrimp, you definitely can use pre-peeled shrimp. I like to buy the ones with the tails still intact though but it's definitely not necessary. Using pre-peeled shrimp also makes this dish more flavorful as well since the sauce coats the shrimp directly and is not lost the shrimp skins.
If you are using frozen shrimp, make the shrimp is completely thawed out before you use it.
Be careful when buying fresh shrimp with the heads on - if the shrimp has been sitting around for too long (not fresh, or thawed from frozen for over a few days), the enzymes in the head will seep into the shrimp's body and make the shrimp texture mushy after it has been cooked.

Nutrition