This quick and easy Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce recipe is full of amazing flavor — and it’s good for you too!
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I can’t believe this Autumn and Winter loving gal is going to say this, but I am loving that spring is here. I’m SOOO ready for it and seeing everything blooming around Vegas is making me happy.
But, while pretty flowers and the leaves filling in on our trees is great and all, I am more excited about my favorite fruits and vegetables coming into season again — like asparagus. It’s one of my big-time favorites, but unfortunately, our house is split 50/50 on who likes asparagus and who doesn’t. Since it’s usually a side dish in our house, so it’s not a big deal if I make it because I’ll usually add in another vegetable with our dinner so the non-asparagus eaters can enjoy something else. But having it as part of the main dish is a bit trickier.
This week, 2 of the 3 non-asparagus eating kids weren’t going to have dinner with us so this was a perfect time for the rest of us to indulge in this wonderful springtime vegetable. Non-asparagus eater #3 would be home, but he’s a bit more flexible and doesn’t truly hate asparagus….he just prefers to not have it. It was time to go for it and I did — with my Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce.
One of my favorite things about this stir fry is that it has equal amounts of shrimp AND asparagus — 1 pound of each. I also purposely keep it with use asparagus and no additional vegetables. Of course, you can change it up if you’d like, but I make other stir fry’s with lots of different veggies, so I like that this one has a short ingredient list.
You’ll first need to make sure your shrimp is peeled and deveined. I use the OXO Good Grips Shrimp Cleaner for this task – it makes it so much easier.
The shrimp is cooked first, in a frying pan, and then removed from the pan and set aside while the asparagus cooks. Towards the end, a bit of minced garlic is added, as well as some ginger (I used Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste, which makes this meal even easier).
It’s really hard for me to pick the main star in this recipe. The shrimp? The asparagus? As much as I love both, I think the happy lemon sauce is what makes this stir fry standout. We’re crazy about the flavor of this sauce, which is also great for using with a chicken stir fry.
After the sauce is poured into the frying pan and combined with the shrimp and asparagus, it will thicken up and dinner is ready to be served!
Would you believe that it will only take you 15 minutes or less to make this fresh and delicious springtime dinner? Yep! It’s so easy and just another example of how great food memories — for asparagus eaters, that is — can be made without spending all day in the kitchen.
Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce Recipe
Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce Recipe
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 pound large raw shrimp (peeled & deveined)
- 1 pound asparagus (ends trimmed and each stalk cut into 2-3″ pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger (Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Lemon Sauce
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the lemon sauce ingredients and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to pan in a single layer and cook for about 3 minutes, turning them over to cook both sides. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Shrimp should be beginning to pink on both sides and be opaque, but just slightly undercooked. Remove from frying pan and place shrimp on a plate.
- In same frying pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, bright green, and just barely beginning to brown. Season asparagus with 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more if needed). Add ginger and garlic and stir to combine with asparagus. Cook for another 30-45 seconds or so.
- Pour in lemon sauce mixture into frying pan with asparagus. Add shrimp back into pan and combine sauce with asparagus and shrimp. Simmer for about a minute or until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and serve.
Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce Recipe
- Yield: 3 -4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 pound large raw shrimp (peeled & deveined)
- 1 pound asparagus (ends trimmed and each stalk cut into 2-3″ pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger (Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Lemon Sauce
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the lemon sauce ingredients and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to pan in a single layer and cook for about 3 minutes, turning them over to cook both sides. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Shrimp should be beginning to pink on both sides and be opaque, but just slightly undercooked. Remove from frying pan and place shrimp on a plate.
- In same frying pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, bright green, and just barely beginning to brown. Season asparagus with 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more if needed). Add ginger and garlic and stir to combine with asparagus. Cook for another 30-45 seconds or so.
- Pour in lemon sauce mixture into frying pan with asparagus. Add shrimp back into pan and combine sauce with asparagus and shrimp. Simmer for about a minute or until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and serve.
Made this tonight, and we loved it!!! I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, which were very minimal. I bought shrimp and asparagus today with the plan of looking up a good stir fry recipe. This was such a hit!!!! Very light, and tasty.
★★★★★
I also roasted my aspargus for 30mins on 350*.
Delicious! The lemon sauce was good. I added chicken thighs to the shrimp and asparagus. I added red pepper flakes at the end. Nice meal to add to the menu.
★★★★
I made this for my wife and it was great! I added some bacon and served it with grits.
★★★★★
I think I will LOVE this.
I made this tonight. Husband and I loved it. The lemon sauce was sooooo good! Quick and easy. Bonus points for only using one skillet for entire recipe. I will definitely make this one again.
Great recipe! I did this last night. I couldn´t find large shrimps so I ended up buying small ones, however I overlooked that adding more shimps to make the 1lb would require additional seasoning! My advice is if you use small shrimps double the salt, pepper, and I added ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (doubled that too).
Another tip, remove the shrimps after cooking but leave the juices in the frying pan so you dont end up with a dry dish.
I couldn´t find asparagus at my supermarket so I used broccoli instead -delicious!
Just made this, all I can say is wowwww super yummy 🤗🤗🤗
My family loves this recipe. It is an easy go to that even the picky eaters in our house enjoy.
Made this tonight – couldn’t get asparagus (sold out) so I used broccoli. It’s a keeper!!!
This is delicious! I made it for just one person. With 250g asparagus and 125g shrimps and a tiny little bit of the delicious sauce. Thanks for the recipe! Bekki
Made this today… it was great….loved it
Sounds like a light and healthy dish.
We made this last night. So easy and delicious. We added some red pepper flakes to the lemon sauce to add a little heat, and served the whole thing over quinoa. Will definitely make again!
Quino. Good idea. Thank you
Made this tonight and it was very tasty. Will make it again!
Oh me oh my!!! This looks absolutely amazing, can’t wait to try!! I’m making something similar tomorrow but with chicken, but my daughter would prefer this shrimp recipe!! Thank you for sharing!!
Sounds delicious and the pictures are great! Shared to my facebook page! #meltinyourmouthmonday
Hello,
How many people would you say this recipe typically feeds? I don’t see amount of servings listed anywhere and me and 2 other girlfriends are planning to make this tonight.
Thanks!
Hi Meg! This would serve 3-4 people.
If you complement with rice you can feed up to 4 with regular size portions. If you serve generously then it will serve 3.
I can’t wait to give this a try … love shrimps and asparagus. Just wondering how many portions out of this recipe? (counting calories intake👍)
This was delicious! I added extra veggies (onion, tomato & zucchini) with the asparagus that were left overs from the night before, everything turned out great! I like garlic on pretty much everything so next time I will add that too. Thanks for the wonderful recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Why did mine come out sooooooo runny? Looks nothing like your pic & nothing like stir fry. I feel that just how it looks in the picture, you should write the recipe. If you grilled the shrimp, state that…and how in the world did yours turn out with no sauce?
Very disappointed.
Hi Sandra,
I’m not sure why yours turned out runny; I would suggest cooking the sauce a bit longer to allow it to thicken. As for the shrimp, I cook mine as explained in the instructions (not grilled, but sauteed on my stove top in my frying pan). Also, my shrimp and asparagus is lightly coated with the sauce.
Made this for Supper tonight and I was not disappointed. This meal will be in the rotation for sure! Delish!
★★★★★
Made this tonight… Used limes instead of lemons because that is what I had. I doubled the sauce so I could make a batch with chicken for the kids. Also added snap peas (because I had them). This was 5 stars in my book! A ton of flavor!
This is an A-1 recipe..Almost licking the bowl. I doubled the sauce ingredients and used fresh ginger. This is Restaurant quality and will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
This is absolutely delicious! I used fresh ginger and doubled the sauce ingredients and so GLAD I did. Will definitely make again. This is the first time I found a recipe so tasty and fast that I have bothered to comment. Thank you very much for posting!
Loved it!!!
Lemon, asparagus and shrimps, perfect combination! 🙂
For how many servings is this recipe?
★★★★★
Made this for the family tonight and it was delicious! Nice, light and flavorful 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Ahhh…I’m a little late to the party, but I found your recipe by just inputting lemon, asparagus, and shrimp into Google. What a find! I just made this tonight and we practically licked our plates clean. Thanks so much for a quick, easy, and elegant dinner!
★★★★★
Just wondering how many servings is this recipe? Looks amazing, can’t wait to make it.
This was so easy and delicious! Thank you!
Thanks Ashley! So glad you liked it.
This is a really delicious stir fry and so easy
★★★★★
I am not a big fan of shrimp but the asparaugus looks yummy. Thank you for linking up this week on the #HomeMattersParty Linky. Looking forward to seeing what you link up next week.
★★★★★
Oh my word!! This looks so delicious!! Thanks for sharing with us at MMBH. 🙂
xo
★★★★★
This stir fry looks delicious and I love that it comes together so quickly. I’m featuring you this week, over at Simple Supper Tuesday. We would love for you to join us again, starting Monday night at 8pm EST.
What a great pairing, my husband loves both of the ingredients and perfect for spring.
Thanks for stopping by to linkup on Friday Features Linkup this week on Oh my Heartsie Girl!! You are welcome to stop by every week Wednesday and Friday to share your posts.
I have Pinned and Tweeted!
I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Karren
Lovely recipe using 2 of my favorite ingredients. I’m looking forward to trying it out!
Two of my favorites – shrimp and asparagus together. Definitely going to have to try. Pinning. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy
Thank you, Cathy! I think you’ll love it!
Hi Brandie, I do hope you’ll come over to Food on Friday: Prawns & Shrimp to add this to the recipe collection! Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Thank you for the heads up, Carole! I submitted a couple of my shrimp recipes.
Hi Brandie, Fab dish, it’s on my shortlist for a feature. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Thanks Carole!
My eyes lit up when I saw this recipe!! I love stir fry like this. I cannot wait to make it!!
Thanks for sharing your stir fry at #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup!
Thank you, Brandi! I love stuff like this too…it’s one of my favorites. I hope you like it!
Yum! I can’t wait to try this.
Thanks for linking up with Share the Wealth Sunday!
★★★★★
I love shrimp, and this looks so delicious! I would love for you to share this over at my new link party Making Memories Mondays going on now!
Cathy
I loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing! Even my 2 year old ate this (which of course is the real test).
This looks great and I plan on making it tonight! I do have one silly question though- Do you just take off the shrimp tails while eating the dish or take them all off before you add it into the asparagus?
Not a silly question! If I buy shrimp on tails, we usually leave the shrimp tails on and take them off while eating. But, I’ve bought ones without tails and used those or you could certainly remove them beforehand. Whichever you prefer.
Super tasty! I added a squirt of sriracha sauce on top for a little zing!
★★★★★
This dish is amazing, my family loved it. It was easy to prepare. Will try it again. Thanks for a great recipe
★★★★★
Even though this didn’t turn out perfectly for me, I’m definitely saving this recipe. I don’t think I had enough asparagus and mine ended up a little too saucy. But over rice, it was perfect. I also use already cooked shrimp, which I’m pretty sure I overcooked a bit. Now knowing my mistakes, I’ll be remaking this. The flavor is delicious and it’s decently healthy.
★★★★★
This was fantastic! Made it last night and will be posting it on my blog (giving you all of the credit, of course!) soon!
★★★★
This is a great dish! The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly and loved it! The second time I made it the same but I added a little bit of red chili pepper flakes and it was great! I serve it over rice this time but I may try rice noodles next time!
Thanks for the recipe!
🙁 did not enjoy this recipe at all….. Dpso disappointed cuz it looks so good!
Thank you Brandie! Your recipe popped up on Pinterest this morning and the pic alone piqued my interest. Love the recipe ingredients. I’m with you on keeping delicious food simple and easy. I look forward to making it soon.
★★★★★
Soooo Yummy!!! Just made this! YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!!!
Thank you, Janie! I’m so glad you liked it.
This looks amazing and we can’t wait to try it. I do have one question…I am trying to avoid sugar at all cost. I’m not a health fanatic but I really need to watch it right now. Question, can I use something besides sugar without really altering the taste? Thank you.
Hi Bonnie,
I’m really not sure — you could try agave nectar or honey. But if you want absolutely no sweeteners, you could try skipping it altogether. I don’t know exactly how it would taste as I find a bit of sweetener is necessary. Thank you for visiting and commenting!
Your Shrimp Asparagus Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce looks like a dish we would just love. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
What a beautiful stir fry! Love this – pinned! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, Jen!
This looks delicious! I love the lemon sauce as well. Pinned to my Fish and Seafood Board on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing it with us at the Hearth and Soul hop.
Be still my asparagus and shrimp loving heart. This recipe is right directly up my alley!!! I love everything about this and I will be making this next week!! I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for sharing.
Visiting from ABFOL Linky Party!
This dish looks fantastic! I love shrimp and asparagus, so this would be a great dish!
I’m pinning this recipe for the asparagus stir fry idea! Thanks.
If I can’t use shrimp, what do you suggest as a substitute? (family member with a shell fish allergy)
Hi Julie,
If I was cooking this for someone who can’t eat shellfish, I would definitely make it with chicken. Thank you for visiting and commenting!
I will certainly be making this. I love lemon, asparagus, and shrimp. You hit my taste bud trifecta! Thanks.
Thanks Rach! They are some of my favorite flavors too.
Hi Brandie,
I love this dish! I’m with you – I’m all about asparagus in the Spring. In fact, shrimp and asparagus are two of my favourite combos – I even do a pizza with them, along with tomatoes and pineapples, lol.
Your photography is lovely as well. So glad to find your fun blog. I’m visiting from Inspirational Monday. Have a great day.
I think I will LOVE this. I am a huge fan of shrimp and asparagus, so this is right up my alley.
Your recipe looks absolutely scrumptious!!! I love grilled shrimp.
Thank you, Jennifer!
Asparagus is my favorite veggie! I am going to make this meal this week. I love it!
I think you’ll like it….it’s perfect for someone who loves asparagus! Thanks for coming by and commenting, Annie!
This looks gorgeous and perfect for in season spring veg. It would get me to like asparagus if I didn’t already. Love the chopsticks, too!
Thanks Wendy! And those chopsticks are a favorite of mine too….a Target clearance find. 🙂
All I can say is yum!! I also love asparagus and I am so excited it is back in season. Thanks for sharing. I’m pinning this one for sure!