SHRIMP WITH OYSTER SAUCE

 This Shrimp with Oyster Sauce recipe is super easy to make and so flavorful. Plump shrimp are cooked in a sweet and savory sauce for finger-licking goodness. Perfect with steamed rice!

When I was growing up, her cooking was more like a special occasion than a regular occurrence. But although she didn’t cook often, she did have a repertoire of special recipes up her sleeves.

Call me bias but I have yet to find one shrimp dish that can beat my mom’s shrimp with oyster sauce. And I say that even with twenty-plus of my very own shrimp recipes here on the blog. 

shrimp, chopped onions, minced garlic, oyster sauce, tomato sauce
Her recipe is one of the easiest and simplest dishes you can make but is full of finger-licking goodness. It requires basic pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand and takes under 30 minutes from prep to dinner!

Ingredient notes

• Shrimp– use head-on, shell-on shrimp for best results. I used large 31/35 count in the recipe.
• Aromatics– onions and garlic
• Fish sauce– adds an umami taste
• Tomato sauce– thickens the sauce and enhances flavor
• Oyster sauce– rich, syruplike condiment that adds a slightly sweet and salty taste

cooking shrimp in tomato and sauce in a pan

Helpful Tips

• Drain the shrimp well before cooking or you’ll end up with way more liquid. This is a sort of “dry” dish with the sauce mostly clinging onto the shrimp.
• Do not overcrowd lest they turn tough and hard to peel.
• shrimp with sweet and savory sauce on a white plate

How to serve and store

Shrimp with oyster sauce is delicious as a main dish with steamed rice. Perfect for kamayan!
Store leftovers in a container with lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until warmed through.