Shrimp Stir Fry

A stir fry is mostly a prep job with a very fast finish. This one is heavy on vegetables, including a whole pound of mushrooms, and the sauce is four pantry ingredients whisked in a bowl. It also holds up as leftovers better than most shrimp dishes, which makes it a good one to cook once and eat twice.

Shrimp out, shrimp back in

Shrimp cook in a couple of minutes. Vegetables need longer. If you cook them together, you get either raw peppers or rubbery shrimp. So the shrimp go in first, come out as soon as they're pink, and only return once the vegetables are done and the sauce is going in.

Heads up

Cornstarch sinks to the bottom of the bowl while it sits. Give the sauce a quick whisk right before it hits the pan or you'll get lumps.

Don't crowd the mushrooms

A pound of mushrooms releases a lot of water. In a crowded pan they simmer in it and turn gray. Use your biggest pan and high heat, and if everything won't fit, cook the vegetables in two rounds. They should sizzle, not bubble.

Try this

Leftover rice from this is the start of Quick Shrimp Fried Rice. If you want the lighter, no-sauce version, Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus goes in the oven instead.