Shrimp and egg stir fry is a quick and delicious dish that takes less than 10 minutes to make. Many Chinese (Cantonese) families make this dish when they want something healthy and delicious. The tender shrimp combined with the soft and savory eggs are a match made in heaven!
This shrimp and egg stir fry, also known as scrambled eggs with shrimp (虾仁炒蛋) is a typical meal my Chinese mom would make for me when I was young. The secret to my mom’s recipe is to season the eggs well and to cook the shrimp for a minute max. For a complete Chinese meal, she served this dish with white rice, steamed pork with black bean sauce, and Chinese steamed eggplant.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- This dish calls for simple ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge! Here’s another simple Chinese recipe, tomato egg stir-fry, that requires simple ingredients as well!
- The shrimp cooks less than 1 minute and the eggs cook in 30 seconds. You can spend 10 minutes on a delicious dinner.
- This is a protein packed meal which will keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious shrimp and egg stir fry:
- Eggs – using pasteurized organic eggs are the best for this recipe. The more fragrant your eggs, the more delicious your recipe will taste!
- Chicken bouillon – a must have seasoning for delicious eggs.
- Sugar – my mom’s secret ingredient to flavorful eggs. It won’t taste sweet, it will enhance the flavors of the overall dish.
- Green onion – highly recommended to bring freshness to the dish.
- Neutral oil (avocado or corn) – adding some oil will prevent the egg from sticking to the pan. When the egg sticks, the eggs will be overcooked and not soft.
- Shrimp – peel and de-vein the shrimp. If it comes frozen, make sure it’s de-thawed before adding to the eggs mixture. Love shrimp? Check out my 20 minute Spanish Garlic Shrimp or Chinese Shrimp Toast!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can substitute the green onions with chives or Chinese chives. Sometimes, my parents sub with cilantro as well.
- To make this dish vegetarian – omit the shrimp and replace the chicken bouillon with salt. Use Chinese chives for more flavor in the eggs!
- Replace the protein – If you have char siu (bbq pork) at home, you can also make char siu scrambled eggs, another Chinese classic.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Shrimp and Egg Stir Fry:
Step 1: Beat eggs. Then, add shrimp and green onions in the bowl.
Step 2: Add shrimp in the hot pan (low medium heat) and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
Step 3: When the shrimp has cooked (turned pink), add the rest of beaten egg mixture in the pan when the shrimp has cooked.
Step 4: Move the eggs gently in the pan to scramble. Cook for maximum 30 seconds to ensure that the eggs won’t get overcooked.
Expert Tips
- Scramble the eggs for no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you cook the eggs longer than 1 minute, the eggs are not as soft and will have a drier texture.
- Cook the shrimp for 30 seconds on each side or until it turns pink. Shrimp can be easily overcooked and have a rubbery texture.
- Use medium low heat to cook the eggs. This creates a super soft texture and cooks them slowly. High heat will overcook the eggs easily.
Recipe FAQs
Store the eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Afterwards, the eggs may get watery and won’t taste as delicious.
Serve the shrimp and egg stir fry with hot white rice and a vegetable dish such as spicy stir fried cabbage or Chinese stir fried green beans. My mom also steams Chinese steamed pork patty with the rice for extra protein.
You can omit the shrimp and add Chinese chives! You can replace the chicken bouillon with salt or omit the chicken bouillon.
Try more delicious family recipes:
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Shrimp and Egg Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 3-4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 green onion sliced
- ½ tablespoon neutral oil (avocado oil)
- 6-7 shrimp peeled and de-veined
Instructions
- In a bowl, add 3-4 eggs. Then, add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Whisk eggs until there are no egg whites showing.
- Slice green onions. Add the green onions and shrimp in the egg mixture.
- Heat pan to low-medium heat. Add ½ tablespoon oil on the pan. Add shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 minute on each side (until the shrimp is pink).
- Add remaining egg mixture to the pan and gently mix together and break apart the eggs. This step should take no longer than 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and serve the eggs immediately.
Video
@cookwithdana shrimp & eggs gives me the tummy fuzzies 🥰 #chinesefood #asianrecipes #easyrecipe
♬ original sound – James Wong – James Wong
Notes
- Cook scrambled eggs on low medium heat for extra soft texture. Cook them no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add chinese chives to the eggs for extra fragrant flavor!
- Cook shrimp less than 1 minute on each side to ensure the shrimp is tender.
Kayla Borton says
This recipe is so delicious, and so quick to make! It’s a huge hit with my family for breakfast or dinner.
C Dixon says
Thank you for this yummy recipe. I make it all the time at home. 🙂 —claradixon1@gmail.com
Mike says
I love this recipe. It is so easy to whip up and serve with a small bowl of rice as a protein packed lunch or as a side dish at dinner. It may shock you to combine seafood and eggs, but the flavors complement each other. I also love how Dana uses more neutral Avocado oil which allow the flavors of the food to take the driver seat vs traditional oils which tend to have distinct flavor (rapeseed, soybean, vegetable, peanut, etc.)
If there is a first dish you’re looking to break into Cantonese cuisine, this is a perfect starter.
Vivian lai says
I made this a few times already, and it’s one of my absolute favorite! So simple yet so delicious! 🙂
Sylvia says
Made this when I had to make a quick lunch for my husband and I and Omgoodness! So simple but so flavorful and so delicious!!! Love the plump texture of shrimp with some savory eggs~ We made this probably 10+ times since!