Honey Walnut Shrimp is delicious as a main entree as well as an appetizer. Lightly battered, fried to golden perfection, and tossed in a sweet, creamy sauce with candied walnuts, it’s seriously addictive!
One aspect of food blogging I really enjoy is recreating restaurant favorites at home. If I may shamelessly toot my own horn, I’ve had quite a few delicious successes with copycatting dishes in my kitchen.
Remember the salt and pepper pork chops from a few months back? I’m still stoked on how they turned out just like what you can get from a Chinese restaurant, if not better! And the baked cheese shrimp? Just as addictive as Hokkaido’s!
Honey walnut shrimp is a dish we almost always order when we dine out at or order in from our neighborhood Chinese restaurant and it’s about time I learned how to prepare it myself. I pieced together a few recipes I came across online and I’m excited how delicious it turned out.
With lightly battered shrimp and candied walnuts in a sweet, creamy sauce, it’s so good you won’t believe how easy it is to make at home!
Cooking steps
This shrimp recipe has three components; don’t be intimidated by the steps as they’re quick and simple!
- Candied Walnuts– cook the walnuts in syrup or use store-bought glazed walnuts which are available at the salad section of most major supermarkets
- Crispy Shrimp– coat the shrimp in batter and deep-fry until golden and crisp
- Mayo Dressing-stir together mayo, condensed milk, and honey
Cooking tips
- Spread the walnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet as soon as they’re coated with the glaze and separate using two forks while still hot to keep from clumping and sticking together.
- The glazed nuts will be slightly soft while still warm but will crisp up as they cool.
- Whisk the cornstarch batter well to ensure it’s light and airy; a thinner batter means a crispier crust.
- Pat the shrimp dry for the coating to adhere well.
- Deep-fry the battered shrimp at the optimal 350 F to 375 F. Do not overcrowd the pan and fry in batches as needed to prevent the temperature from plummeting.
- Use the right kind of oil. High smoke point oils such as peanut, grapeseed, safflower, or canola oil are great for deep-frying.
- Drain on a wire rack instead of paper towels as the escaping steam might make the deep-fried shrimp soggy.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy honey walnut as an appetizer or main entree. Serve with chow mein and steamed rice for the ultimate Chinese take-out experience at home.
How to store
This shrimp dish is best when freshly cooked as the tempura coating and the nuts tend to lose their crunch over time.
If making ahead for a party, cook the walnuts and store in an airtight container at room temperature and prep the honey-mayo sauce and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Fry the shrimp and toss with the other ingredients when ready to serve.
More Restaurant Favorite Recipes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 pound medium shrimps, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper to taste
- peanut or canola oil
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Add walnuts and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove walnuts and arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool and dry.
- In a wide pan over medium heat, heat about 2-inch deep of oil.
- In a bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy.
- Slowly add cornstarch and whisk together to form a batter.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. Dip shrimp one by one into the cornstarch batter to fully coat.
- Add to hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and drain on a wire rack.
- In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, condensed milk, and honey. Stir until smooth.
- Add fried shrimps and gently toss in sauce to coat.
- Transfer to serving platter and garnish with candied walnuts.
Notes
- Spread the walnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet as soon as they’re coated with the glaze and separate using two forks while still hot to keep from clumping and sticking together.
- The nuts will be slightly soft while still warm but will crisp up as they cool.
- Whisk the cornstarch batter well to ensure it’s light and airy; a thinner batter means a crispier crust.
- Pat the shrimps dry for the coating to adhere well.
Video
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Yasmin says
Hoping you have the step-by-step videos on ALL of your recipes .
Renan says
I love that Coconut Shrimp one! might have try for this
Lalaine Manalo says
Hi Renan. Have you tried it? Let us know how it went.