About Honey Walnut Shrimp
Oh, shrimp, how I adore thee. I’d count the ways, but that would take for-ev-ver and quite frankly I’ve got other things to do this week (read: continue X-Files marathon). Shrimp has been my longest food obsession by far, dating all the back when I was little and probably the most infuriatingly picky eater that ever turned her nose up at a steak.
Or chicken.
Or pretty much anything that wasn’t shrimp.
I should really make a habit of telling my mother how awesome she is more often, because it was only her endless patience (and a fondness of Red Lobster’s cheddar bay biscuits) that allowed me and my crustacean infatuation to live to adulthood. Seafood isn’t cheap, and having a child who would gladly live off of shrimp alone is like suffering a financial hardship. It’s one of those things you can’t fully appreciate until you start paying for your own food bills, so despite my love for all things seafood, the slightly older and cheaper me tries to keep by shrimp consumption to a minimum.
And by “minimum” I mean once a week, and whenever possible, I try to make shrimp dishes at home in order to save the extra few bucks.
That’s where this recipe for honey walnut shrimp comes in.
For as much as I claim to be a shrimp enthusiast, I didn’t even know honey walnut shrimp existed until Panda Express added it to their lineup a few years back.
I know, that’s so shameful, but what can I say?
A few years ago I wasn’t really cooking at home, so I was completely at the mercy of whatever the local restaurants decided to put on their menu.
And for reasons that remain a mystery to me, our favorite Chinese takeout joint didn’t (and still doesn’t) carry honey walnut shrimp.
I know, it’s absolute craziness.
How can they not be cooking this up? They’d make so much more money… off of me!
What I love about making honey walnut shrimp at home is that you have complete control over how sweet (or not) you make the sauce. I’ve gone out of my way to hunt down other restaurants that serve this dish, and so far there’s only one thing remains the same: everyone does it differently. Some use a basic tempura batter (basically flour and cornstarch) while other use tempura flakes. Some have a tartly sweet sauce while others have a honey sweet sauce.
No two restaurants make it the same way.
As for this specific recipe? It reminds me more of Panda Express’ version, although I did use tempura flakes. I happen to like this type of batter better, but if you’d rather have a smooth tempura finish, you can make your own tempura batter using this recipe.
No matter which way you go with the tempura, this is a tasty (and surprisingly easy) recipe for your weekday shrimp fix – all without having to leave the comfort of your own home. 
Recipe Details
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
Instructions
For the Candied Walnuts
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Cover a large baking sheet or plate with parchment paper and place nearby.
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In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add walnuts to pan and cook them in the butter, stirring frequently, until the liquid in the butter has been mostly cooked away, about 5-8 minutes. Remove walnuts from pan and place on a plate.
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Wipe the pan clean, then return to burner. Over medium heat, add water and brown sugar, mixing the two ingredients together. Add walnuts back to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until brown sugar mixture starts to thicken and sticks to walnuts, about another 5-8 minutes. Remove walnuts from pan and place on parchment paper, spacing them out so they don't stick together. Set aside to cool.
For the Tempura Shrimp
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In a medium sauce pan, add oil and warm over medium high heat.
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While oil heats, prepare three bowls: one for flour, one for eggs + cold water, and another for tempura. Place a plate nearby and cover it with a papertowl.
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When ready to fry, work shrimp in mangeable batches (enough so that they can comfortably cover the oil in the pan in a single layer). Coat shrimp in flour, then egg mixture, then press into tempura. Add shrimp to hot oil and cook until coating is golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Set cooked shrimp on the paper towel lined plate.
Putting It All Together
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In a large bowl, add shrimp and walnuts. Pour sauce in bowl and gently toss to coat. Turning the shrimp too hard or too fast may make the tempura fall off, so go slowly.
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Serve honey walnut shrimp immediatley.
This looks delicious and is going in my recipe file.
Thanks Candy 😀
recipe sounds great but calls for 1 cup tempura? is that a bottled item or is tempura batter made from scratch and just no ingred. or method shown – pls clarify – thanks
Hey Wil! Tempura breading is also sold in a premade package, like panko or bread crumbs. Kikkoman makes a few types, like this one: http://amzn.to/1ovPDnD
I love everything that has walnut in it. I should really try this!
Thanks Aishwarya! Honestly, this is my favourite dish with walnuts – highly recommend it! 😀
what a delicious plate you have here… definitely my fave
Thank you! 😀
I LOVE shrimp! This recipe looks like something I would definitely try. The ingredients looks so delicious.
Right? I already need to make this again! Weekly shrimp cravings and all that 😀
this looks so amazing! I love making my own “carry out” instead of buying it. Never would have thought to add walnuts, but I LOVE them!
Thanks Kirsten! The walnuts are the perfect touch 😀
This looks so good! I love everything about this dish.
Thanks Becky!
I had to laugh at your story of loving seafood as a kid and what a financial strain that can be. My cousin let her youngest kid eat as much smoked salmon (lox) as she liked. I watched as this little kid downed about $20 of the delicacy at brunch. Yikes! Anyway, glad to have a recipe that saves me from going out for this scrumptious-looking dinner.
Thanks Laura! 😀 And that’s too funny about your cousin – at least she went with smoked salmon, something pretty healthy 🙂 I was a fried seafood kinda kid. Just as expensive but not nearly as justifiable, ha!
Love the Honey Walnut Shrimp at Panda Express
😀 Then you’re my kinda people, Jenna! I’m a big fan, too.
This looks so good! Putting it on my to-try list!
😀 Thanks! If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Recipe printed and will check it out tomorrow. LOVE walnuts, LOVE shrimp and honey as well so all these combined I think is over the moon delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks Noemi! If you tried it, I hope it turned out great 😀
This reminded me that I don’t eat enough shrimp in my life! Time to get to it. Thank you for the lovely recipe!
Thanks Erica 😀
I just found a great shrimp/seafood vendor at our farmer’s market, and now I have to go back and get more this weekend so that I can make THIS awesome dish! Yum!
Oh my goodness, these sound incredible! My an old friend of mine would go nuts over these!
Thanks Kimberly! 😀
oh my gosh those looks delicious!! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Courtney 😀
Now I”m totally hungry. This looks SO good!
Thank you Angie! 😀
Love the look of this dish! I love anything with shrimp….yum!
I know, right? Shrimp is <3
This is my an old friend of mine’s favorite meal at Panda Express. He would love it if I made this at home instead of having to go out and pay for it.
If he’s anything like me and my Panda Express obsession, he’ll appreciate being able to adjust the sauce and the walnuts to his liking, too 😀 I added extra walnuts to mine.
I love breaded shrimp! It’s one of my favorite seafood dishes!
Mine too Sabrina 😀 Thanks!
This sounds amazing! I love tempura shrimp and this sauce sounds delicious.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
Thanks Allison!
I live for Chinese take out so thank you for the recipe! Its going to save me some money!!!
Thanks January! 😀
This dish looks amazing! What great ingredients. Definitely going to give this ago. ?
Thank you Lucy!
Can you leave out the mayo or is there a way to use something else in its place?
Hey Jessica! You could try substituting the mayo for yogurt, but I haven’t tried this substitution myself yet. The mayo brings consistency and a tangy counter to the sweetness of the honey, so any substitution would need to fill those shoes.
This didn’t only look great it tasted amazing. Made it a few weeks ago and by popular demand, it’s on again tonight! Truly a good dish.