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This healthier Orange Sesame Shrimp is a quick and flavorful weeknight dinner! Shrimp and broccoli tossed in a slightly sweet and spicy orange sesame sauce comes together in no time!
Oh hey everyone. How was the weekend? Mine was pretty awesome, actually. My mom has been visiting me, and we made the drive down to our old hometown of Eugene, Oregon. I got to spend the weekend with my best girls and get some nostalgia in the town I moved away from five years ago. If you follow me on snapchat (add me by searching: foxandbriar) you saw some of the fun and food going on, and oh yes, the wine. After the weekend filled with so much of that I am feeling the need for some healthier options this week. This healthier Orange Sesame Shrimp is at the top of my list.
I have mentioned before that I love to keep shrimp in my freezer for quick and healthy weeknight dinners. I prefer the raw, peeled, tail on shrimp. Buying them already peeled saves prep time, but uncooked is better so that you don’t end up with rubbery, overcooked shrimp. I love that you can thaw them in a few minutes under running water, and they only take a few minutes to cook as well. Frozen shrimp are the unsung hero of quick weeknight meals.
This Orange Sesame Shrimp is a quick and flavorful weeknight meal with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce that comes together in under half an hour.
All the prep this meal requires is thawing some shrimp (or not even that if you bought fresh shrimp), chopping up some broccoli, whisking together the sesame orange sauce and about 10 minutes of cook time. Oh, and you can make some rice to serve it with if you want (I like it with rice, or you can make cauliflower rice if you are going the low carb route). While you are cooking the shrimp and broccoli, the sauce is heated and reduced, then everything is tossed together and you are ready to eat!
What were you all up to this weekend? Do you ever go back to your old hometown, or do you still live there? What is visiting like for you?
Orange Sesame Shrimp
Ingredients
- 3/4 pounds shrimp raw, tail on
- 1 pound broccoli cut into florets
- 4 green onions diced, white and green parts separated
- sesame seeds optional, for garnish
For Sesame Orange Sauce
- 1 cup fresh orange juice about 2 oranges
- zest of one orange
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce to taste
- 3-4 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger root
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients for Sesame Orange Sauce in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until reduced by about half.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Quickly sear the shrimp, about 2 minutes per side, until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
- Add the broccoli to the pan and just enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan (a few tablespoons). Cover pan and let the broccoli steam until crisp tender and bright green, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the shrimp, white parts of the green onion and the orange sesame sauce back to the pan with the broccoli. Toss together over heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve garnished with the green parts of the green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tools I used for this recipe (affiliate links):
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Ooooh, I love it when mom visits! But then to have a trip inside of a trip.. even better! My Ma comes up late Summer to escape the Texas heat. She usually spends several weeks here. We take a lot of day trips and sometimes head up to the San Juans. I look forward to it each year. I love the flavors you’ve assembled here, Meghan! I’m going to be so sad when oranges are out of season. That sauce, girrrrl!! Love!
Thank you Traci! So fun to take day trips, I love the San Juans!
What a fun trip!! I’m going back home in March for the first time in a very long time and I’m so excited! I’m already thinking about all the eating out we will be doing though, so I know how you feel when you get home and need something like this! I’m loving all the flavors in here!
Thanks so much Izzy! Hope you have a super fun trip and eat allll the things 😉
That sauce, Meghan! I can tell it’s not going to be too sweet due to all of those additional ingredients. It sounds like the perfect blend and plentiful too. The photos are awesome BTW.
Thank you so much Jane! Yes, the sauce isn’t too sweet, just a tiny hint from the brown sugar 🙂
Glad you had such a wonderful weekend! Mine went by so fast, I can hardly remember what I did. LOL!
This shrimp dish looks amazing! Love to cook shrimp for quick and easy meals!
Isn’t that always the truth with the weekends? They go by way too fast! Thanks Christin!
This looks so delicious! I love how easy and simple this recipe is. I’m glad that you had so much fun back in your hometown! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thank you so much Ashlyn! Happy Valentine’s day to you!
Glad to hear that you had an amazing time with your Mom and friends. And wow! Just look at the color!! Yummy citrus flavor and super delish looking bowl. So good.
Thank you so much Anu!