This is one of those dinners that feels special but is pretty easy to pull off. Juicy shrimp are cooked in a buttery gochujang sauce that’s savory, gently sweet, and a little spicy, then spooned over warm rice and topped with your toppings of choice. It’s cozy, satisfying, and perfect for a relaxed weeknight or an unfussy date-night dinner when you want something comforting but still a little fun.
The key to success in this recipe is making sure to have all of your components prepped and ready before cooking the shrimp (cook your rice, make the cucumbers, slice the scallions, and any other toppings you want).
Ingredient highlight
Shrimp! These little nutrient-packed crustaceans are an excellent source of selenium, vitamin B12, iodine, choline, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fats EPA and DHA, to name a few! They are also rich in the antioxidant astaxanthin, a carotenoid that gives shrimp (and lobster and salmon) their pink hue.
Servings 4
Prep Time 25 minutes 
Cook Time 12 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined*
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2-3 tsp gochujang
- 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed (optional)
- 1-2 cups rice, cooked (I prefer short grain white rice but any will work)
For the cucumbers:
- 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber (or use another crunchy raw veg, like radish)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the sesame greens (optional):
- 2 bunches leafy greens (stems removed) or bok choy
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Toppings/add-ons:
- Sliced scallions, for topping
- Sesame seeds, for topping
- Soft-boiled egg or fried eggs (optional)
- Avocado slices (optional)
- Chili crisp (optional)
- *You can buy shrimp that is already peeled and deveined to save time, but I made a video showing you how to do it if you need.
- Note: ~ if you’re making this for two, you can easily cut the recipe in half.
Instructions
Prep your components:
- Cook your rice (instructions here). Toss the cucumbers, vinegar, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- If using greens, lightly steam or saute them until they are softened. Squeeze out excess water, then chop them up and toss with the sesame oil and salt. Set aside.
- Prep any other toppings, if needed – you want all your components prepped and ready before you start cooking the shrimp because it cooks quickly.
For the shrimp:
- Pat the shrimp dry.
- In a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted and starts sizzling, stir in the gochujang, maple or honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic.
- Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip each over and repeat on the other side or until just cooked through (opaque in the center).
To assemble:
- Scoop rice, shrimp, greens (if using) and cucumber into your bowl. Drizzle the spicy garlic butter and scrape the crispy bits left in the skillet all over the rice/shrimp (if butter has hardened, warm the skillet on the stove. You can also add extra butter to stretch it).
- Top with add-ons of choice (if using – egg, avo, chili crisp). Spoon the liquid at the bottom of the cucumbers over everything (or use a squeeze of lime). Finish with scallions and sesame seeds.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Peel and devein 1 lb shrimp (if needed)
- Cook 1-2 cups rice
- Thinly sliced 1 cup cucumber
- Marinate the cucumbers
- Lightly steam or saute 2 bunches leafy greens (remove stems if applicable). Chop it up and toss in sesame and salt.
- Thinly slice scallions, for topping
- Soft-boil eggs (if using)
Substitutions:
- If you don’t like shrimp, you can replace it with thinly sliced chicken, pork, or beef.
- To make it vegetarian, replace the shrimp with tofu. It would work best if the tofu is drained, pressed, torn into small pieces and cooked (pan-fried or baked) before adding to the skillet, though it will still work if you just use raw tofu. The texture will just be more “wet”.
- To make vegan, see above and use a vegan butter or you can try it just using olive oil.
- If you can’t find gochujang, you can replace it with sriracha. The flavor may be more spicy and not as complex, but it will still taste yummy. You could also replace the gochujang with 1 tbsp of Thai curry paste OR use Indian curry powder, but add the powder in during the last 30-60 seconds of cooking.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Shrimp: up to 3 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Rice: up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Cucumbers: up to 6 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- The best way to warm up the shrimp is in a covered skillet with a few tbsp of water, then remove the lid to evaporate any water left. You could also just microwave the shrimp.
- To reheat rice, cover it with a wet paper towel and microwave for 1 minute or until steamy.
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