Shrimp Stew for Two Recipe (2024)

Variation. Fish sauce is an acquired taste, notably unpleasant to some. Because its role in this dish is to add a bit of umami and tartness, you can substitute white wine or sherry, just slightly reduced to a few tablespoons worth, with a dash of your favorite soy sauce at Step 4. These will work beautifully with the shrimp and greens. (Suggest tasting before adding any sugar at all to the sauce.)

For those who don't want to mess with shrimp with shells on, I always shell them and make a simple broth by boiling the shells and using it in the stew. You get the flavor without the mess.

Using your hands. If that bothers you, don't make this. ;-) Pick up a shrimp in both hands. Twist off the head; lay it back on the stew. Hold the body with your thumbs between the legs, apply gentle pressure, and pull the shell apart. Slip your thumbs inside the open shell and slide it off. Pull the shell off the tail if you want (I don't). Lick the juices off the shell before you put it aside. Eat the shrimp. Then suck out the goodness from inside the head and the juices outside.

Great looking recipe. The serving size is perfect for one - me! I'd double the shrimp if sharing.

To enhance the flavor of this stew add two cups of shrimp broth (see David Tanis's BYT recipes) instead of water.

What an incredibly simple & delicious meal. This is my first time cooking with gochugaru. I bought the paste instead of the powder based on the recommendation of my grocer. She was right, it was incredibly easy to use, fragrant and flavourful. I served this stew with a baby green salad and fresh fruits for dessert. If any of you have doubts, in my humble opinion, do not hesitate. One final note, it is spicy, which we love but start light on gochgaru and add more to personal taste.

Turns out you can de-vein shrimp in the shell using only a toothpick. There are videos out there. I couldn't find gochugaru quickly enough, so I used gochujang (Korean ketchup). I used 2-3 T, which provided a nice heat. Since it contains sugar, I didn't add any. The stew was spectacular. I'll hunt down the proper spice before I make it again, but I can't imagine how it could be any better.

i use mother-in-laws brand (can be had at whole foods or online) and it's delicious but it is very spicy. way spicier than crushed red pepper. (and we have two dozen hot sauces among other hot pepper type stuff on hand at any given time because we like heat.) 2T would too much, imo. it's very important to taste whatever you buy - for spice, but also because before i was recommended the MIL brand, i bought a different brand on amazon and it tasted like virtually nothing but the box it came in.

Fantastic. Like many, I did not have gochugaru in my pantry and I wanted to make this tonight. So here was my kluge. I googled for suggested substitutes for gochugaru and saw gochujang, chipotle, Aleppo pepper and more. I used 1.5 teaspoons of gochujang paste plus 1/4 t of chipotle powder for smokiness. Then, because I wanted a bit more smokiness and my heat threshold was reached, I hit it with a couple of dashes of smoked paprika. Otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter. Wonderful

Would it not be better to clean the shrimp before cooking, then put all the entrails, head, legs into a teabag-like contraption and cook together, and, at the end throw away the bag? Picking out shrimp from a stew -- or soup -- to separate it, is an an pleasant affair. I end up doing that with a knife and fork not to get my hands all sticky but even then it is not convenient as you need an extra vessel, etc.

What’s the best way to peel the shrimp once it’s served?

The liquid is 2 cups of water. It's in the instructions, not the ingredients list.

This was great! Served it over fresh ramen noodles...highly recommend

Pretty much followed this recipe as presented. I like heat so in addition to 2 T of gochugaru added a good dollop of gochujang. One caution, too much of what is marketed as gochugaru is actually chili powder from China. The chili product from China has heat, but lacks the depth of flavor of good Korean gochugaru. If all else fails, you can order good gochugaru from Amazon. Thank you for this recipe Eric.

A lovely and comforting stew that is reminiscent of kimchi jiggae, tom yum, and a Viet-French bouillabaisse, all at once. Don’t skimp on the butter! It adds great balance to the bright and spicy flavors in the stew. Another banger by Eric!

This recipe was a pass for me. I cooked as directed and the broth was very thin and not very flavorful. I liked the simplicity of the dish but in the end you get what you put in, a limp broth. Maybe would have been improved by chicken broth or seafood broth.

So so so good!!! And I used shrimp that were already shelled cause that's what was available. Still fabulous following the recipe closely though I did leave out the pinch of sugar.

This one’s a keeper. Comes together so quickly. Doubled the recipe., used head on shrimp, subbed arugula for broccoli rabe. The mild bitterness of the greens and radish are a lovely foil to the flavorful broth.

Really great flavor. Next time I might Thai it up with some coconut milk and lemongrass or basil...

I enjoyed making this and sharing it with my wife. I don’t like messing with the shell, so I went with large shrimp, deveined and shelled, but with the tails on. I also used a larger number than the recipe calls for. I thought that the broth was fantastic and I enjoyed dipping bread in it. My wife enjoyed it too but thought that it was a bit too spicy, and she normally likes spicy food, so I think that if I made it again that I’d use just a single tablespoon of the gochugaru.

I liked it but my girlfriend wasn’t a fan, and I must say her critiques hold merit. It was not all that flavorful and could have used just a bit more depth of flavor; it is a very basic preparation. Her best response, however, was to the author’s boyfriend: “If this makes life worth living, what kind of sad life did you have before eating this?”

I used gotchugara paste - but less than half of the amount suggested in recipe- and that was plenty of kick.Had shrimp cleaned for me at Whole Foods ( for free!), Asked fishmonger to save shells. I tied them up in a cheesecloth sack and boiled them in the water for 10-12 minutes. Doubled the recipe for two people; we’re hearty eaters. Added mushrooms and used kale.Took shrimp out of the stew as soon as they turned pink, so they didn’t turn tough. Will make again.

Noted

Here’s where the magic happens:“Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, gochugaru, fish sauce or sugar as needed.” Sigh.

I worked in restaurants shucking oysters, cleaning whole fish and peeling and deveining shrimp. I believe that it’s far better to peel and devein prior to cooking- retaining heads and shells for stock. I realize that the presentation is less dramatic but how many guests want to get their hands and possibly clothing soiled with the broth? Unless you’re at a picnic table, providing lobster bibs with plenty of napkins and finger bowls with lemon? Be hospitable.

Really delicious. A big hit at our house. Used Tuscan kale. Thanks, Eric!

Used 12 to the count prawns; we buy a 4lb bag of frozen shell-on and deveined from good old Costco and just use as needed. While chopping and sautéing threw shells in the 2 c water and made the quick broth. Used the 2 T full-on spice but tasted as I went. Used spinach as that’s what I had but added at last minute. Toasted some crunchy sourdough and it was sooo good for a misty chilly Seattle evening. Will definitely do again.

Amazing flavour! I couldn’t find fresh shrimp anywhere so used frozen, de-shelled shrimp and it still tasted amazing. Wanted to sub fish broth for the water to make up for missing the fresh shrimp but I also had no luck finding that so used chicken. Make this on a weeknight in no time and don’t taste until after you’ve added the fish sauce and sugar!

One-note dish — gochugaru, which I like, so I enjoyed the dish. My wife did not. Shrimp was pointless, as the gochugaru overwhelmed it.

This was so good! Rich flavors & fairly quick to make. I shelled the shrimp and made the broth with them, a few garlic cloves & shallots thrown in too. We had it with some homemade sourdough, toasted. Tasty & filling.