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Easy. Healthy. Delicious. Quick.
These are all my favorite descriptors for dinner! So today I’m bringing you a recipe that fits all of those and is the perfect addition to your weeknight meal rotation. Low carb shrimp stir fry!
Low Carb Shrimp Stir Fry
To lower carbs from a traditional shrimp stir fry, we are swapping out rice for cauliflower rice, using lower carb veggies, and skipping cornstarch in favor of xanthan gum for thickening the sauce. We’re also skipping sweetening the sauce, although if you prefer to add a little low carb sweetener to your sauce, you definitely can.
This recipe has three main parts. I use the same skillet for everything, but if you wanted things to go more quickly, you could use more than one.
Start off with some shrimps. Raw, shelled, and deveined. I prefer tail off, but you do you.
To this I add garlic and ginger. I keep both of those in the freezer and then grate them straight into the bowl using a microplane. Add a little salt & pepper and then set it aside.
For the sauce, I use soy sauce. However, if you need to be completely wheat-free, use Tamari instead.
Soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar whisk up to a nice sauce. You know what would be great in here? A little sliced green onion. But I forgot to pick any up at the store.
This is my real life, folks.
I also add a little xanthan gum here. I like xanthan gum because it creates a very similar thickening effect to cornstarch without the carbs.
First, I cook up the cauliflower rice. I use frozen cauliflower rice, but you can use fresh as well. I prefer cooking it in a skillet, but you can also cook it in the microwave.
Cook it up until it’s tender, add sesame oil and salt for a little flavor, and then transfer to another dish, cover and set aside.
As far as veggies go, I use a mix from Trader Joe’s with some added broccoli.
This dish is definitely veggie-heavy with the cauliflower rice. That makes it slightly higher in carbs than some other recipes, but it’s a great way to load up on fiber and get all the great nutrition vegetables provide.
If you’re adding broccoli florets like I did, sauté those for a couple minutes before you add the rest because they take longer to cook, and the last thing you want is limp vegetables in your stir fry. You want everything to be cooked through but still crisp.
Then add the sauce and stir just until heated.
I go ahead and cook the shrimp in the same skillet, after removing the vegetables. They’ll get thrown in with the veggies, but they cook better if they’re not crowded in with the vegetables in the skillet.
The key to cooking shrimp is to cook them just until they turn pink and opaque. Cooking them any further will make them rubbery.
Once they’re all cooked, toss them up with the vegetables and serve it all up with the cauliflower rice.
Add a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, if desired.
That’s it! The whole thing from start to finish only takes about thirty minutes and you have an incredibly delicious and healthy meal perfect for a weeknight!
It also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day!
Low Carb Shrimp Stir Fry
Easy, delicious and healthy, this shrimp stir fry is a perfect weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or Tamari
- 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- Avocado or coconut oil
- 1.5 lbs frozen stir fry vegetable mix
- 20 oz. riced cauliflower
- salt & pepper
- Toasted sesame seeds for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Drain and pat shrimp dry with paper towels, and place in a bowl. Mince or grate garlic & ginger and add to shrimp, along with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- Whisk together soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, rice vinegar, xanthan gum, and more salt & pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of avocado or coconut oil in a skillet. Add riced cauliflower and stir fry until cooked through. Add remaining tablespoon of sesame oil and season with salt to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and cover.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same skillet. Add vegetables and stir fry until tender-crisp. Add sauce and heat through. Transfer to a serving dish and cover.
- Heat one more tablespoon of oil in the skillet again. Add shrimp. Cook on each side just until shrimp is opaque. Do not overcook.
- Add shrimp to the vegetables and toss together. Add sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with the riced cauliflower.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 15.2gSaturated Fat: 2.1gSodium: 1814mgCarbohydrates: 13.9gNet Carbohydrates: 8.9gFiber: 4.9gSugar: 4.7gProtein: 18.6g
