The BEST Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice

Also known as, the best fit-back-into-your-pre-holiday-pants recipe, without missing a flavor beat. That’s right. This is so. so. so. good. I’ve made variations of shrimp cauliflower fried rice recipes in the past, and I can tell you right now: this is leaps and bounds more delicious, and SO satisfying [more on my secret ingredients in a sec…].

Now, I know it’s easy enough to preach, but believe me when I say you will not even miss the rice. On second thought – I don’t even want you to take my word for it. You NEED to try this for yourself. I have long loved using cauliflower rice instead of the real-deal. Reason being, I really, really love the fact that cauliflower will pretty much take on any flavor you season it with. That said, I just don’t think soy sauce alone cuts in  cauliflower fried rice. And let’s be honest, nobody wants boring. Amiright? (I am).

So! Secret ingredients: a dash of hoisin sauce, and a dash of sweet chili sauce. Now hang on one sec – let me give you my rationale: the soy sauce [which is pretty much the only seasoning in most recipes you’ll find] is a great way to give the rice a salty, Asian-inspired flavor, of course. But the hoisin sauce gives this such great depth of flavor, and the sweet chili sauce perfectly cuts the saltiness offering great balance. This is literally perfection. Because as you know, and as we’ve discussed, flavor is life.

And of course this is packed with wholesome goodness [cauliflower, onion, carrots, ginger, garlic, scallions, peas, shrimp] so #noregrets, only more calories for wine [obvious New Year’s win].

Quick alibi: if you’re like me and loath the process of ricing cauliflower in a food processor because it takes a village to clean it, my favorite go-to is Trader Joe’s riced cauliflower [$2.49 for a 16 oz. bag and found in the refrigerated section. It’s a life saver.].

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The BEST Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice

This shrimp cauliflower fried rice is packed with wholesome goodness, and has two secret ingredients that bring the flavor of this to the next level. Guilt free, and delicious!

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sesame oil divided
• 1.5 lb. jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3/4 cup carrots peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and minced
• 2 medium heads of cauliflower riced (store-bought or riced in a food processor)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup frozen peas dethawed
• 1/4 scallions chopped
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Servings people Ingredients 3 tablespoons sesame oil divided 1.5 lb. jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined 1 medium onion diced 3/4 cup carrots peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic minced 2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and minced 2 medium heads of cauliflower riced (store-bought or riced in a food processor) 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 2 large eggs beaten 1/2 cup frozen peas dethawed 1/4 scallions chopped 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan, add two tablespoons of sesame oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the shrimp to the pan, and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook shrimp for 3-5 minutes, flipping half way through, until opaque and cooked through. Remove the shrimp from heat and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil in the same pan. Once hot, add the onions and carrots. Saute for 10-12 minutes, until the onions and carrots are soft and begin to brown. Add the minced garlic and ginger to the pan, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the riced cauliflower and soy sauce to the pan. Saute the cauliflower for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Using a spatula, move the cauliflower and vegetable mixture to edges of the pan, leaving the center of the pan empty. Add the beaten eggs to the center of the pan, and scramble until cooked through (about 3 minutes).
4. Add the peas and scallions to the pan, mixing the vegetables and eggs together until well-combined. Add the hoisin sauce and sweet chili sauce, mixing again. Return the shrimp to the pan, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes. Serve hot, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

For a wine choice, we could go two ways on this: one, given the seafood component, pairing this with an unoaked chardonnay such as the A to Z Wineworks chardonnay from Oregon would work well. It's fruit-forward with a touch of richness (graham cracker, honey), with a well-rounded finish. Alternatively, if you lean towards red, I think a lighter red would be perfectly acceptable given the darker flavors of hoisin and soy in the dish: a pinot noir or merlot would be delicious. We'd recommend the 2013 Tiera Woods Merlot. It's medium-bodied, notes of blackberry, plum, vanilla, and baking spices - a great complement to this recipe. Cheers!

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