Today, I’m sharing a recipe for shrimp lo mein with XO sauce that I made earlier in the week. It was a huge hit, and I’m sure you’ll love it too.
The lo mein sauce strays from more common lo mein flavors by incorporating XO sauce. I have a few recipes using XO sauce, including these Lobster Noodles and these XO Noodles with Pork. It’s a condiment that I strongly encourage you to keep in your refrigerator. It has a super luxe flavor profile that works well with noodles, seafood, meat, or rice dishes.
This recipe has a somewhat different flavor profile than the classic take, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. But, if you’re looking for a more classic shrimp lo mein recipe, I highly recommend The Woks of Life recipe.
What you need for shrimp lo mein with XO sauce:
As with any stir-fry, the key is prep, prep, prep. Or mise en place, if that’s what you prefer to call it. Everything cooks quite quickly, in batches, and at high heat, so you want to have all your ingredients ready to go so you’re not scrambling.
For this recipe, you want to use a mix of vegetables that you love. I used sliced onion, bell peppers, celery, and chopped green beans. You can make this with sugar snap peas, snow peas, broccoli, water chestnuts, shredded carrots, or with shredded cabbage. It’s a perfect canvas for almost any veggie you have lurking in your crisper.
For the sauce, you need:
- Light soy sauce
- Water
- XO sauce
- Shaoxing wine
- Sesame oil
- Cornstarch
- Oyster sauce
- Hoisin sauce
If you can’t find XO sauce, use a little extra oyster sauce instead. I highly recommend grabbing a jar of XO sauce online or from your local Asian grocer. On Amazon, it’s quite a bit more expensive than what I paid in person at Hmart.
I coat the shrimp in cornstarch and add just a bit of the sauce to let it briefly marinate as I cook.
Once everything is prepped, it’s all about frying in batches.
How to make it:
- Step 1: Start with the vegetables in very, very hot oil. I like to go until they’re slightly charred, as you can see in the photo. Take them out of the wok or skillet and transfer them to a large bowl.
- Step 2: Time for the shrimp! The shrimp do NOT need to be cooked through, and it’s better if they’re not! Cook them until mostly opaque, and then transfer them to the bowl of vegetables. The shrimp will continue to cook off the heat, so if you cook them until completely done, they’ll be overcooked.
- Step 3: Thicken that sauce! Add the remaining sauce to the skillet or work and let it bubble and thicken. Whisk it regularly to break up any remaining bits of cornstarch. The sauce will become quite glossy and thick.
- Step 3: Sauce your noodles! Add the noodles to the sauce and stir to soak up all that sauce on the bottom.
- Step 4: Finish it up! Return the vegetables and shrimp to the pot and stir constantly over low heat. You likely only need 1–2 minutes or so.
Easy Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe
Equipment
- Large skillet or wok
- Large pot
Ingredients
Sauce:
- ⅓ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons XO sauce
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
Lo mein:
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 16 ounces frozen or dry lo mein noodles
- Neutral oil, for frying
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 2 bell peppers, trimmed, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
- 8 ounces green beans, roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery, trimmed and thinly sliced on a bias
- 5 scallions, minced; white and green parts kept separate
- Sesame seeds, optional, for serving
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the sauce:
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare the shrimp:
- Place the shrimp in a bowl and toss to coat with ½ teaspoon cornstarch. Pour 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the shrimp and toss to combine. Transfer to the refrigerator until needed.
Cook the noodles:
- Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
Fry the vegetables:
- Heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Once very hot and shimmering, add the vegetables and the white parts of the scallion, cooking in batches if needed. Cook until beginning to char and soften for 3–5 minutes total. Season very lightly with salt. Transfer back to the bowl.
Cook the shrimp:
- Keep the heat on the wok on high and add the shrimp. Cook without moving for 1–2 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 1–2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of vegetables. The shrimp do NOT need to be cooked through.
Finish the lo mein:
- Pour the remaining sauce into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened. Continue whisking until any small lumps of cornstarch are completely worked out, and the sauce is smooth and glossy. Taste and season.
- Add the lo mein noodles to the sauce and toss to combine. Add the cooked vegetables and shrimp and cook, stirring to incorporate, until the shrimp are pink and opaque and the noodles are well-sauced. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Transfer the shrimp lo mein to a large serving platter and garnish with minced scallion greens. Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. Enjoy!
Made this recipe with chicken and we loved it!! The xo sauce is fantastic! We’ll be trying it with shrimp next.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂