sweet and sticky pomegranate shrimp
Sometimes a bowl of shrimp is just what the doctor ordered. Unless you’re allergic. If the doctor orders shrimp in that case, sue them.
A little food photographer insight: sometimes, the weather dictates what dish I decide to make. I don’t mean seasonal availability in this case, I mean if it’s cloudy and shit I often pivot to a different concept that I know will photograph better under less bright conditions.
I’m working through a self-made Valentine’s menu of concepts, and initially I was ready to take that route today. The atmosphere had different ideas. The sky was shite dark. These conditions also tend to make me lazier, edging me from more elaborate dishes to weeknight-friendly, meal prep-geared concepts that don’t take me away from finishing my tasks early and plopping on my couch like the lazyass I can be.
This is a victorious weeknight dinner, for cloudy days and slow days. Sweet and Sticky Pomegranate Shrimp helps you take advantage of the final poms on the shelves before winter produce slowly lends the crown to springtime. 25 minutes at most start to finish, a perfect meal prep, and a healthier option if you’re still in post-holiday reset mode.
Sticky Fingers
Only a good thing if we’re talking about a sauce you can happily lick off your fingers. This particular one is that tasty. Real easy, too.
Brown sugar and pomegranate juice form the base of the sauce, helped along by some orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a touch of smoked paprika. Whisk all of that together in a bowl.
Next, ensure your shrimps are defrosted, peeled, and deveined. I oft like U15 shrimp in my bowl recipes but this time a slightly smaller variety, 26-30 count, felt better. More bang for the buck. Tail on or tail off is your preference – I usually just leave it on because I’m lazy.
Pat the shrimps dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat some oil in your skillet and cook the shrimp a couple minutes per side until opaque. You will likely have to cook the shrimp in two or so batches. Remove the previous batch to a plate before starting the next, and drizzle a little more oil in between as needed to keep the pan moist.
Toss the shrimp back into the pan and pour over the sticky sauce. Bring to a simmer. Whisk a little cornstarch with an equal amount of water and dump into the pan. Stir around to combine. The slurry contributes to the stick part of the recipe by thickening the sauce and helping it adhere to the shrimps.
To finish, stir in a handful of pomegranate arils. I love the pop of texture the arils offer in this dish, and the gentle tartness.
Serving the shrimp is easy as can be. Cook up some rice however you’d like and pile the shrimp atop. Add some more arils, fresh basil, and whatever veggie sounds good to you. Steamed broccoli always fits the bill for me. Divvy up leftovers for a workweek’s worth of lunches. It’ll be just as fabulous over the next few days.
Cozy and easy. The perfect formula. Hope you enjoy, kids!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Need more shramp?
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sweet and sticky pomegranate shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra large shrimp (26-30 ct), peeled and deveined
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp corn starch, whisked with 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- steamed rice, basil, and more pomegranate arils, to serve
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Working in batches as needed, saute the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side until opaque.
- Add all the shrimp back to the pan. Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the starch slurry and whisk until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. It should stick to the shrimp. Hence the sticky in the name. Stir in the pomegranate arils.
- Divide the shrimp among bowls of rice. Serve with additional pomegranate arils and fresh basil, as desired.
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