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Korean Inspired Shrimp Rice Bowls

Hey friends! Today I’m joining forces with Sizzlefish to bring you this Korean Inspired Shrimp Rice Bowls recipe! I’m working with them because they offer wild seafood, which is really important to me. They sent me this shrimp to share with y’all. Hope you enjoy!

Spicy Korean Shrimp Rice Bowl Recipe
Over the past few years, I have fallen madly in love with Korean cuisine.

The flavors are bold and spicy and exciting. There is a great variety and diversity of dishes, so you’re bound to find something you enjoy, no matter your tastes.

After making some of the classic recipes such as bibimbap and japchae, I have started to experiment with adding Korean flavors to my everyday cooking. I like to add gochujang and other Korean ingredients to my scrambled eggs, soups, etc.

Spicy Korean Shrimp Rice Bowl Recipe
When Sizzlefish asked if I’d be interested in trying out some of their wild seafood, I thought these shrimp rice bowls would be a lovely recipe to share with y’all. It’s different enough to excite your taste buds, but easy enough to pull off on a weeknight.

But the reason I wanted to work with Sizzlefish is because I find it difficult to source wild shrimp in our town. And I think that purchasing wild vs farmed shrimp is important. Sizzlefish carries Wild Gulf Shrimp, product of USA, no additives.

If you’re interested in purchasing from Sizzlefish, make sure to use the coupon code ButteredSideUp to get 10% off your order!

Note: not ALL of the seafood on Sizzlefish is wild-caught: only the Atlantic salmon, catfish, and trout are farmed. All the rest is wild!

Spicy Korean Shrimp Rice Bowl Recipe
These shrimp bowls are bursting with flavor. The vegetables are sautéed briefly to retain their freshness. The shrimp are marinated in a spicy-sweet sauce. The rice helps to cool everything down a notch. The gochujang mayo brings it all together.

Shoot. Now I want a bowl.

NOTES:

  • The only really different ingredients in this recipe are the gochujang (고추장 – basically a Korean hot sauce) and gochugaru (Korean hot pepper powder). I recommend getting a non-GMO gochujang – I haven’t been able to find an organic version yet. I’d like to try making my own sometime!
  • It’s important to use TOASTED sesame oil. I made the mistake of using regular sesame oil when I was first starting out with Korean cooking, and it just doesn’t impart the same flavors as the toasted sesame oil.
  • The section on cooking the veggies may seem long or complicated. It really isn’t. You’re simply sautéing the veggies one at a time. If you prefer you can definitely just sauté and season them all at once (except for the cucumbers). They won’t be as pretty since their colors will mix together, but it will taste just as good.
  • You don’t have to serve this with short-grain rice – long grain or whatever you have on hand will do.
  • If you aren’t a fan of spicy food, simply decrease the gochujang and gochugaru. You can also replace them with sriracha if you prefer. The flavors will just be a little different.
  • American-style hot pepper flakes are NOT the same as Korean gochugaru. You can use regular chili flakes if you prefer, but you’ll want to decrease the amount drastically unless you like things spicy.

Spicy Korean Shrimp Rice Bowls

My take on Korean Bibimbap. So good!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Author Erica Lea

Ingredients

For the shrimp:

  • 1 teaspoon non-GMO gochujang
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 10 oz. wild shrimp
  • 2 teaspoons avocado oil for frying

For the veggies:

  • 1 medium cucumber peeled & thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon gochugaru
  • 2 medium carrots shredded
  • 1/2 medium zucchini julienned
  • 3 oz. shiitake mushrooms stems removed & thinly sliced
  • 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce more to taste
  • 3 teaspoons avocado oil for frying
  • For the gochujang mayo:
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon non-GMO gochujang
  • Cooked short-grain rice kimchi, and seaweed for serving, optional

Instructions

For the shrimp:

  1. In a shallow glass storage container, whisk together the gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, maple syrup, and rice vinegar. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.

For the gochujang mayo:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo and gochujang.

For the veggies:

Cucumbers:

  1. Place the cucumbers in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoons of salt. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and squeeze + dump out the excess water. Add the sesame seeds, gochugaru, 1/3 of the garlic, and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and stir. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Zucchini:

  1. Heat a medium-sized cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of avocado oil. Add the zucchini and 1/3 of the garlic and sauté until tender crisp, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Stir in 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Remove from skillet to a plate.

Carrots:

  1. Add another teaspoon of avocado oil and sauté the carrots until tender crisp, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Remove from pan to the plate.

Mushrooms:

  1. Add another teaspoon of oil and sauté the mushrooms for about 3 minutes, or until becoming soft. Add remaining garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and soy sauce to taste. Remove to plate.

To finish:

  1. In the now-clean pan, heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque in the center, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  2. Place some rice in a bowl. Arrange the veggies and shrimp on top. Add kimchi and toasted seaweed if desired. Top with gochujang mayo. Devour.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by Maangchi, Korean Bapsang, and Cooking Classy

HERE is a non-GMO gochujang, and HERE is an organic gochujaru

 

NOTE: Some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will make a small commission. This has zero impact on the price you pay, and it helps to keep Buttered Side Up running. Thank you so much!

Recipe Rating




Sandrea

Tuesday 30th of April 2024

This was exceptionally tasty! I am not always able to find wild shrimp what other seafood do you think will work as well in the dish? I especially liked sautéing every thing separately to highlight the flavors of each item and it made for a nice presentation.

Mary from Terry

Tuesday 20th of February 2018

This is going to be dinner tonight. I don't have avocado oil so will have to substitute with either vegetable or coconut oil. Yum!

Erica Kastner

Tuesday 20th of February 2018

Hope you enjoy, Mary! This is one of my favorite dishes to make. Coconut oil would work great! ?