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
Helpful 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.
- 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
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 pound medium shrimps, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper to taste
- peanut or canola oil
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ 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.”
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.