Vietnamese Easy Garlic Shrimp with spicy chili garlic sauce recipe is Paleo, Whole30, and Keto. This garlic shrimp stir fry is a total crowd pleaser to make all year around!
Butterfly shrimp by inserting a knife about three-quarters of the way into shrimp near the head and cut nearly all the way down the center of the shrimp’s back to the tail.
Combine shrimp with garlic, fish sauce, and salt in a bowl. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare garlic, scallions, and chili peppers. Set them in one bowl.
Preheat a wok or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until it feels too hot to place your palm near the surface (about 2-3 inches away from the skillet), add 2 tbsp oil. Swil to distribute the oil evenly.
Turn the heat to high. Be careful the splatter. Add shrimp and try to distribute them in one even layer. Fry about 2 minutes without touching then flip to cook 1 minute additional. Set them aside in a medium size serving plate.
Your skillet should be dry (not waterat this point before moving onto the next step.
While the skillet is still hot, over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp oil. Add garlic, scallions, and chili. Season with a pinch of salt and saute the aromatics until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Add vegetarian oyster sauce and quickly stir-fry the sauce with the aromatics for about 5 seconds. Off heat, spoon the mixture along with the oil over the shrimp.
Garnish with cilantro, if using. Serve with steamed white rice (for gluten-free meal) or cauliflower rice (low carb).
Notes
In the winter, cover the sautéed shrimp with a foil wrap to keep warm while you make the sauce.
If you aren’t sure how to preheat your skillet, check out this article.
You can also garnish the dish with chopped green scallion parts.
I use my homemade vegetarian oyster sauce (made with shiitake) for extra flavor and depth. I highly recommend that you give this sauce a try. If in a hurry, use coconut aminos instead.