Sriracha & Honey Shrimp (w/ wine pairings)

Hi everyone, my name is Derek, and I’m addicted to Sriracha.

Yeah, so if there was a support group for Sriracha I think I would need to attend… then again, that would mean I was looking to quit Sriracha. Hmm, nobody likes a quitter right!? But it’s true, I think I have become addicted to the stuff, I put it on nearly everything now!

So the other day when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to cook for dinner I wasn’t trying to pair with a particular wine, or had a certain protein in mind… I was trying to decide what I wanted with my Sriracha. This is what I came up with:

Sriracha & honey glazed shrimp accompanied by rice with fresh ginger, shiitake mushroom and scallion set in a red miso broth, garnished with fresh watercress and toasted sesame seeds.

Below is my recipe and recommended wine pairings. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients (shrimp):
1lb Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4c Sriracha
3tbsp Olive Oil
3tbsp Honey
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Onion Powder

Ingredients (rice):
1c White Rice
2c Water
1c Chicken Stock
1 1/2c Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
1/2c Scallion, chopped
1tsp Salt, two 1/2tsp portions
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Yellow Curry Powder
1tsp Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
2tbsp Unsalted Butter

Ingredients (other):
2tbsp White Sesame Seeds, lightly toasted
1pkg Red Miso Broth Mix
1c Water
1c Chicken Stock
Fresh Watercress for garnish

Alright guys, this one is super easy to make, it’s fast, and doesn’t create too many dishes to clean.

First thing you need to do is get the shrimp marinating, at least two hours before you plan on cooking dinner, and up to one day before. Combine all of the ingredients listed in the “shrimp” section, stir well to make sure that everything is evenly coated, then cover and refrigerate.

Once you’re ready to cook the first thing to do is get the rice going. In a medium pot melt your butter at medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and 1/2tsp of salt. Cook until the mushrooms start to lightly brown, then add the rice. Cook the rice and mushrooms for 3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the ginger, chicken stock, water and seasoning. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cover, stirring periodically. The rice will likely take about 25 minutes to cook. Once you hit the 20 minute mark check the rice by tasting to get an idea of how far along it is and act accordingly. For the end product you want just a bit of firmness. Just before you’re ready to serve stir in the chopped scallion.

While the rice is cooking make the miso broth. Yeah, I know it’s cheating using something premade, but sometimes it’s just best to cheat. Bring the water and chicken stock to a boil, stir in the miso mix, then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until ready to serve. You want it to reduce down a little but not too far, so watch the heat. If it reduces too much it could be overwhelmingly salty.

Last but not least is the shrimp. Do this when you have about 6 minutes left on the rice. Heat a sauté pan or pot on high then add the marinated shrimp along with all of the marinade that you had made prior. Sear for 2-3 minutes then flip and repeat. Once you’ve done that if the rice isn’t quite ready yet reduce your heat to low and stir periodically while you wait for the rice.

That’s it, you’re done. Easy wasn’t it? Go ahead and plate the broth, rice and shrimp, top with watercress and sprinkle the dish with toasted sesame seeds.

As far as wine pairings go I will almost always recommend white wines for 90% of Asian inspired dishes, and preferably something that has a touch of residual sugar and minerality to it to offset the heat and salt. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Albarino, Torrontes… these are go-to’s for me. You could also go with bubbly that has some dosage. Below are my three recommendations for this dish, including what we had that evening (listed first).

Domaine Huët Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu , Loire, France – Domaine Huët is the most storied name in Vouvray. The winery was founded by Victor Huët in 1928 and immediately established itself as the standard bearer of the appellation. While a number of producers in recent years have made a go at Huët’s title, no one has been able to wrest it from them. They are simply the best (cue Tina Turner). Their Demi-Sec from the Haut-Lieu vineyards is almost life changing, yeah, that good. The wine is medium to full bodied, with subtle notes of citrus zest, white peach, honeysuckle and crushed granite framed with a perfect harmony of citrus acidity and honeyed sweetness. Only 1,500 cases are made per vintage but despite this fact there is pretty strong distribution of the wine throughout the US and you should be able to get your hands on a bottle. Or, as I would recommend, buy every one you can find! Another beauty of this wine is that it can be laid down for another 15-20 years, and it should only get better! (Retail $34-40)

Trapet Gewurztraminer Beblenheim, Alsace, France – Domaine Trapet was established in 1870 in Gevrey-Chambertin, and over the past century plus have proven themselves to be one of the top producers in this prestigious appellation. In 1993 the newest Trapet generation took over, under the guidance of Jean-Louis Trapet, and he seamlessly continued on with the family’s impeccable reputation. While Jean-Louis’s family had holdings in Burgundy, his wife’s family owns vineyards in Alsace and he decided it would be interesting to produce some wines from their vineyards as a fun little side project. So here we have the Gewurztraminer from their holdings in the Beblenheim Vineyard. I would rate the wine as a demi-sec (semi-dry), while there is residual sugar there is still a nice balancing acidity. On the palate you’ll find notes of lychee, mango and meyer lemon, with very subtle minerality in the mid-palate and finish. This one will likely be difficult to find with only 400 cases made per vintage, but it’s worth the search! PP Score: 91 (Retail $18-22)

Bohigas Brut Reserva Cava, Catalunya, Spain – The Bohigas estate was established in the 13th century and the family has been producing wine from their lands since 1290! The current generation is a father daughter team, Jordi and Maria, and I have to say that they are two of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Their wines are simply stunning, and unbelievably affordable. Their Cava Reserva can stand toe-to-toe with some Champagnes in my opinion, and a third of the cost. On the palate you’ll find notes of candied lime zest, green apple, crushed rock and white flowers, with palate awakening effervescence and a slight yeasty density. Even though the family has been producing wine for over 700 years, they were not imported into the United States until two years ago, so they’re still relatively unknown in our market (but that’s changing fast!). PP Score: 91 (Retail $13-16)

So there you have it, my recipe, my wine pairings, my admission to the world that I’m a Sriracha junky… I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope that you make the dish and drink the wines. New content coming soon, but in the meantime crack open something crisp and subtly sweet, sit back, and relax. Life is short, enjoy it!!