Shrimp fried rice is a simple and classic dish that always hits the spot. The crispy rice and juicy shrimp are cooked with simple seasonings and aromatics, bringing out the clean flavor of the shrimp. Whether you’re looking for a comforting weeknight meal or a crowd-pleasing dish, this recipe is a surefire hit. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
Making fried rice is one of my favorite ways to repurpose leftovers. For example, chicken fried rice, beef fried rice, and pork fried rice are some of the fattest one-bowl meals you can whip up with your pantry ingredients.
Today I want to introduce this easy shrimp fried rice recipe. Got day-old rice and some frozen veggies in the fridge? Add some shrimp, and you’ve got a restaurant-quality meal at home. Shrimp’s natural sweetness pairs beautifully with the buttery rice and the subtle nuttiness of sesame oil, creating a perfect dish.
Shrimp fried rice ingredients
Day-old cooked rice
Jasmine rice and medium grain rice work the best. These types of rice contain less starch than short grain rice, so the grains separate nicely during stir frying.
Once the rice is cooked, it’s best to store the rice in the fridge for a day or two before making it into fried rice. When stored in the fridge or freezer, the rice will start to lose moisture, making the grains dry out a bit. And that’s how you can get the grains separated nicely and toast them until crispy when cooking them in the pan.
Mise en place
You should have all the ingredients prepared before starting to cook.
- Cooked rice: Fluffed with your hands, so the grains separate easily during cooking.
- Eggs: Beaten with a pinch of salt.
- Frozen veggies: I used green peas, but you can use corn, carrots and / or green beans as well.
- Shrimp: Marinated. It adds great flavor and keeps the shrimp juicy.
- Neutral oil and / or butter: I like to use some butter on top of oil in my fried rice to add flavor.
- Seasonings: I used chicken bouillon and white pepper to create a clean taste, which is similar to the shrimp fried rice you get in a restaurant. Alternatively, you can also use a splash of soy sauce or oyster sauce to enhance the flavor. Both ingredients will make the dish a little darker in color.
- Green onion: A must have flavor enhancement in fried rice.
- Sesame oil: It adds a nutty flavor and fragrance to the rice. You can skip it if you use a lot of butter.
How to make shrimp fried rice
Softly scramble the eggs and transfer them to a plate.
Then sear the shrimp and transfer them to the plate with the eggs.
Thoroughly toss the rice in the hot pan with veggiesw and seasonings. The rice should be heated through, grains well separated, and lightly toasted on the surface for a crispy texture. It helps a lot if you use a generous amount of oil in this step.
Last, add back the cooked eggs, shrimp, and green onion. Stir to finish up.
How to serve shrimp fried rice
Shrimp fried rice is often served as a side dish at a Chinese restaurant. When eating at home, I like to serve it as a one-bowl meal for lunch or a light dinner. If serving a family style dinner, you can serve shrimp fried rice as a staple dish, paired with other main dishes, veggie side dishes and appetizers, plus a soup. For a Chinese takeout dinner, consider serving shrimp fried rice with:
- Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣汤)
- Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (蚝油芥蓝, Gai Lan)
- Chinese Chicken Dumplings (鸡肉饺子)
- Sweet and Sour Pork (糖醋里脊)
- Crispy Sesame Tofu
- Chinese Beef and Broccoli (牛肉炒西兰花)
Shrimp Fried Rice (虾仁炒饭)
Ingredients
Marinating
- 1/2 lb (227 g) shrimp , peeled and deveined (*Footnote 1)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Stir fry
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter (or peanut oil, or a mix of both)
- 3 large eggs , beaten with a pinch of salt
- 4 cups leftover white rice , gently separated with your hands
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (or 1 tablespoon soy sauce or oyster sauce) (*Footnote 2)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper (or black pepper)
- 1 cup frozen peas (or mixed frozen vegetable)
- 3 green onions , sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (Optional)
Instructions
- (Optional) Place the shrimp flat on the cutting board. Slice horizontally across the center to butterfly the shrimp, so it becomes two thin pieces. This will make the shrimp more flavorful and curled up, like the restaurant style.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a wok or a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Add the shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp has turned pink and curled up. Transfer to a plate immediately.
- Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil and the beaten eggs. Cook until the bottom is set, then lightly scramble. Transfer to the plate with the shrimp.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and the rice. Cook and stir until the rice has separated fully and is coated evenly with the butter. Pour in the light soy sauce, sprinkle with the salt and the white pepper. Stir and cook until the seasonings have fully dispersed.
- Add the mixed vegetables and green onion. Stir and cook until turning tender. Then add back the cooked shrimp and eggs. Drizzle with sesame oil if you prefer. Mix everything together. Transfer to a plate and serve hot as a side dish or a main dish.
Notes
- If you want the restaurant-style appearance, slice the shrimp across the vein into two thin pieces. This way, the shrimp will curl up nicely during the cooking.
- Restaurant shrimp fried rice usually has a light color and only uses salt and MSG for a clean flavor. But if you prefer to add a touch of soy sauce or oyster sauce to boost the dish, that works well in this recipe as well.
- To make the dish gluten-free, use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine. Use tamari to replace soy sauce, and make sure your oyster sauce is gluten-free.
Looks absolutely delicious! I cooked on an electric stove for many years and finally got a gas stove a couple of years ago. Love using my wok now 🙂 Will definitely try this dish in it.
I have the same problem with electric stoves. I’ve had gas for years but my daughter has electric and it’s just not the same.
I love your solution though and the fried rice looks amazing. It’s so great too to have such a great video to really see how easy it is. Thanks Maggie!
I have an electric and it drives me nuts. I have a gas stove out west and I miss it so much! I absolutely love this dish, Maggie, and love your videos. They are inspiring!
I have missed my gas stove for years and always wanted another. It is so expensive to run the gas line it’s just not worth it. Anyway – love this dish – it looks wonderful and I bet it did feel good to be able to stir fry with the right equipment. Thanks!
So glad you are able to cook with a wok again on your portable gas stove. This fried rice looks perfect! It’s a favorite around here and I definitely want some for dinner tonight 🙂
I love how beautifully easy this is, Maggie (I really enjoyed the video!)
Do you usually eat it by itself, or with something? 🙂
I have been cooking on an electric stove for 60 years. No problems with the shrimp fried rice recipe which turned out great. Very tasty and light. I didn’t have shrimp and substituted steamed cod which I broke into pieces after it cooled a bit. I think a lot of substitutions are possible with this recipe. The result will in most cases be good.
Thank You for the detail you put into the recipes, it makes it so easy to make. Thank You Again!
You’re the most welcome Ken! Glad to hear you like the dish 🙂
Can you make this using frozen vegetables? Does that change the order of cooking?
Hi Michelle, yes, you can use the frozen vegetables and the order of cooking doesn’t change.
Happy cooking and hope your dish turns out great! 🙂
I found your website via Nagi recipe tin eats who was singing your praises. nice to have found you.
Could you show a picture of your portable gas stove? Thanks.
I don’t have a picture now but this is the stove I have (and used in the video): http://amzn.to/28JoJG3
Loved it! I had try many different recipes and I never got the flavor but this one did. I love it!!
Hi Maggie, I made this just as recipe except I used pepper salt to marinate the shrimp, couldn’t be better.
Thanks for the recipe, will be my go to.
Maggie an induction cooking plate may be much better than your electric stove. I am suggesting it because it generates heat differently from the electric stove. The problem is you need to use only stainless steel or cast iron implements, as they are magnetized to do the cooking. Look into it!
It looks easy to cook. I will try it this evening. I am curious if i will not burn it. Anyway. I dont eat ham . Do you have any other advice of same soft texture of meat that i can use? Like , is sausage cut in pieces also good? And, is adding dried shrimps or anjofish or both also ok ? Thanks
You can usually use cut up sausage and it should be delicious. For dried seafood, I would use dried shrimp only.
A family favorite!
I tried this tonight. This was my first ever attempt at making fried rice. I had left over white rice, peas and ham and googled to see what I could make. I had frozen shrimp, cooking white wine, soy sauce and sweet onion, and eggs. Well pretty much everything but carrots and green onions. You aren’t kidding about needing everything ready before you start. LOL. I have white pepper, but it was all moving so fast it was quicker to grab the regular pepper shaker. I used a 5 quart cast iron skillet that I preheated on my gas stove. Worked just fine. I did use 2 Tbl spoons olive oil to start it off since you recommended using more if not using a wok.
It turned out great. I will use 3 eggs next time since my eggs were so small. My husband loved it and was eating it out of the pan after we were done. Always a good indication that it was delicious! I plan to try your chicken fried rice recipe next. That is what I always order when we go out.
So happy to hear you nailed it the first time making fried rice and enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a positive review 🙂
Maggie, I’ve had so much trouble with fried rice in the past. Lumpy, soggy or just plain gross. This particular order and method you specified worked really well for me. It came out beautifully, with lots of fresh, evenly cooked veggies and non-sticky rice. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ham, so I just used more shrimp. Still superb! Didn’t even miss it! Thanks for the excellent techniques and recipes! I keep learning to make the best meals from you!
P.S. This pairs well with a dry Sauvignon Blanc.