While it may sensible to plan your main course first, especially when entertaining, it is still important to give plenty of thought to the appetizer. Divinely crisp and naughty, those spicy and peppery shrimp are great on their own or served with a lemon-soy garlic dip on the side.

Spicy, Peppery Shrimp with Lemon-Soy Garlic Dip
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 Tbs. peanut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp red ground chili
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- For the dip:
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh scallions
- 1/4 tsp. honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
To make a dip:
In a bowl, stir together lemon juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, scallions, honey, and minced garlic.
The dipping sauce may be made a day in advance, covered, and refrigerated.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
To make shrimp:
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, ground ginger, red ground chili, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Spread the cornstarch mixture on a plate.
Warm a wok or large frypan over high heat until very hot and pour in the peanut oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 5 seconds.
Quickly pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and dip in the cornstarch, coating both sides and shaking off the excess.
Add the shrimp to the wok in a single layer and sear, turning once, until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve with the dipping sauce.

9 Comments
Medeja
November 28, 2012 at 11:25 pmWonderful appetizer! The sauce sounds really yummy!
Treatntrick Treat and Trick
November 29, 2012 at 2:21 amThis awesome dish looks awesome with that special dip!
Viví Taboada
November 29, 2012 at 7:21 amun lujo de plato! me encanta, bicos
Anonymous
November 29, 2012 at 1:17 pmLovely shrimp dish….sounds very tasty…
Love your props 🙂
Marina
November 29, 2012 at 6:36 pmI found another thing we have in common: our love to shrimp! 🙂 Tasty, tasty! I never can have enough of it! 🙂
Spicie Foodie
November 29, 2012 at 10:32 pmI could eat these as an appetizer or for a meal. Love the recipe, thanks for sharing Yelena:)
Nami | Just One Cookbook
December 1, 2012 at 7:49 amBeautiful and delicious shrimp, Yelena! I have all the ingredients so I should give this recipe a try soon! 🙂
llimaverda*
December 2, 2012 at 5:09 pmqué maravilla, es precioso y muy rico, bsts
Regina Melo-Jocknevich
April 16, 2014 at 7:54 pmHello Yelena, how are you?
My husband & I love shrimp, and I think this recipe with lemon-soy garlic dip might be too delicious, definitely is something I must try.