This Shrimp with Oyster Sauce recipe is super easy to make and flavorful. Plump shrimp are cooked in a sweet and savory sauce for finger-licking goodness. Perfect with steamed rice!
My mother was not one you'd find puttering around in the kitchen. She kept a very immaculate house but mostly left preparing everyday meals for our house help. When I was growing up, her cooking was more of a special occasion than a regular occurrence. Although she didn't cook often, she had a repertoire of special recipes.
Call me biased, 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 shrimp recipes on the blog, including my favorites, baked cheese shrimp and salted egg yolk shrimp 🙂
Her recipe is one of the easiest and simplest dishes you can make, but it is full of finger-licking goodness. It requires basic pantry ingredients you probably already have and takes under 30 minutes from prep to dinner!
Ingredient notes
- Shrimp- for best results, use head-on and shell-on. I used a large 31/35-count shrimp in the recipe.
- Aromatics- onions and garlic act to add depth of flavor
- Fish sauce- adds an umami boost
- Tomato sauce- thickens the sauce and enhances the flavor
- Oyster sauce- rich, syruplike condiment that adds a slightly sweet and salty taste
- Salt- seasons the dish
How to make Shrimp with Oyster Sauce
- Saute onions and garlic in a wide pan until softened. Add fish sauce.
- Add tomato sauce and simmer until reduced and thickened.
- Add shrimp and cook until coated with tomato sauce and the color has turned pink.
- Add oyster sauce and continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked and the sauce clings to the shrimp. Season with salt to taste.
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 overcook lest they turn tough and hard to peel.
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 a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until warmed through.
More shrimp recipes
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, shell and head on
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Using scissors, trim the shrimp tendrils. Rinse and drain very well.
- In a pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add fish sauce and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add tomato sauce and allow to simmer until reduced and thickened.
- Add shrimp and continue to cook, stirring to combine, until coated with tomato sauce and the color has turned pink.
- Add oyster sauce and continue to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are cooked and the sauce clings to shrimp.
- Season with salt to taste. Serve hot.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Marissa Salonga says
I will try this recipe for my son. I'm sure he will like it!
Lalaine Manalo says
Enjoy!
Diay says
I tried it and it is just so delicious and easy to prepare. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Monica bacolod canonoy says
loved it shrimp simple and easy..
daisy says
i enjoy watching the recipe
and im.interested to cook it for my family..
thank you..i want to watch youre other video recipe
Wilson says
Yum yum try ko luto mamaya
kyle singh says
Can i use tomato ketchup instead of tomato paste for a substitute
Christine loy says
Hi , is it necessary to add fish sauce.
Lalaine Manalo says
The fish sauce adds umami flavor, you can omit it if you like and use salt.
Teee says
Tried it and it was very nice. Used both tomato paste and blended fresh tomatoes
Lalaine Manalo says
I am glad you enjoyed it!
Diana says
Thanks for this recipe. ☺ I cooked it using fresh tomatoes instead. It turned out delicious!
Lalaine Manalo says
I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Angelie Jane Maquilan says
Hi, when you used fresh tomoatoes did you blend it?
Sheila says
Thanks to you...sinubukan ko lutuin ang recipe ng mom mo sarap na sarap ang husband ko...salamat po sa pag share ng menu ng mom u..Godbless
Lalaine says
Thank you for the feedback, Sheila. I am glad your hubby liked it 🙂
Crisalyn says
Thanks for you're very delicious recipes,I like it very easy the way for cooking easy time end very,I wish I make a more recipe, thank u so much my dear friend,,,
Lalaine says
You're welcome, I am glad you find the recipes useful. 🙂
mhean navarro says
mukhang masarap po .. pede po kayang lagyan ng honney yan..
salamat po sa mga recipe nyo 🙂
Lalaine says
Hindi ko linalagyan nang honey kasi medyo matamis na yung oyster sauce, magiiba yung lasa.
Rob says
Tried this recipe and it tasted like the commercial sardines in can as in Ligo or Master Sardines.....
Lalaine says
Did you by chance use a can of Ligo or Master Sardines instead of tomato sauce? Because that's the only way this recipe will taste like you said.
Hazel says
I tried this recipe my husband liked it so much! Thanks so much for sharing this yummy recipe!
rosemarie says
Can I substitute the oyster sauce to teriyaki sauce?
Thanks,
Rosemarie
Lalaine says
Hello Rosemarie
Unfortunately, teriyaki sauce is not a good substitute for this recipe as they are very different in taste and consistency. Is oyster sauce hard to find in your area?
Mary says
I tried teriyaki sauce and its taste good i just add a little bit water
Emma says
I made this for dinner last night and had a little adventure. The recipe asked for tomato sauce but I only had tomato paste. So I asked Mr. Google if there's any way I could "convert" the paste into sauce. And tada! He has a solution- add water. 😀
I'm not really one who does well in the kitchen but your stories & recipes make me feel excited about cooking...I'm starting to feel like a pro. Haha!
Maraming salamat sa pagbabahagi ng iyong talento Lalaine. 🙂
Lalaine says
Thank you, Emma. This is my mother's special recipe and I am glad you enjoyed it as much I do. 🙂