the review: shrimp and asparagus stir-fry with lemon sauce

I’ll admit that when I planned this meal, I was in a hurry. I came across a couple of new food blogs, saw some things that looked tasty, and signed myself up. Then it came time to make stir-fry. In summer. What was I thinking? I almost didn’t do it. I mean, grill season is so short, right? I could just grill up those shrimps and asparagus and call it a day. I’m so glad I didn’t. This shrimp and asparagus stir-fry in lemon sauce is light, flavorful, and just the thing for a nice summer meal. 

Let me first say a word about the blog from which this recipe came. Elly Says Opa http://ellysaysopa.com/ is right up my alley. I don’t know Elly, but I sure would like to have coffee with her. Or cheese. Or a cookbook swap. Seriously, she lists her favorite books about food right here. I want to read all of these now. And for those of you who are following along closely, several of Elly’s favorite cookbooks come from America’s Test Kitchen, which is the publisher of my favorite reference cookbook, you guessed it, The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. I think I have a little girl crush now.

So it goes without saying that when I saw Elly’s post about this shrimp stir-fry which came from an America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, I was bound to try it. Grilling season or no grilling season.

This recipe follows the basic formula laid out for stir-fries in The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. We’ve covered this before with Beef and Broccoli and with Beef Stir-Fry with Snap Peas and Red Peppers. Sauté meat (in this case, shrimp). Remove from heat. Sauté veggies (carrots and asparagus). Move to the side. Add aromatics (garlic, ginger, olive oil, and green onion) to the center of the pan. Let them get nice and smelly. Mix it all together. Return meat to pan and add sauce. Allow sauce to thicken. Serve. Devour.

The sauce makes this dish. I would add a bit more ginger to your aromatics but otherwise, this recipe can be left alone. Start to finish about thirty minutes. I did as suggested by Elly and let my shrimp sit in their nice marinade while I prepared everything else. (In truth, my husband made the sauce. He wins.) My only other recommendation would be not to let your kids nap past four and certainly not to let them have a quesadilla for snack less than an hour before dinner. But you probably knew that already.