Hibachi Shrimp (Benihana Copycat)

About Hibachi Shrimp

Hibachi Shrimp is a stir-fry dish in which raw shrimp are stir-fried in butter along with veggies and a few sauces. It is popularly served at Japanese restaurants and Hibachi steakhouses.

These homemade Japanese Hibachi Shrimp tastes precisely like the one you might have tasted at Benihana Steakhouse.

It is one of the easiest recipes to make at home. These shrimp come together in under 20 minutes using a few ingredients.

Homemade Japanese shrimp are super economical, too. Plus, you can adopt them to your liking. Add more or less soy sauce, or add a splash of hot sauce to make them spic.

Serve Hibachi Shrimp with Hibachi Fried Rice and creamy Yum Yum Sauce, and you have a delicious meal ready in minutes. You can also serve them with quinoa, couscous, jasmine rice, or cauliflower rice for a healthier meal.

You can double or triple the recipes but remember to stir-fry them in batches. If you add too many shrimp to the pan, they will steam instead of stir-frying, and their taste will alter.

Ingredients

Oil & Butter – Japanese steakhouses fry their shrimp in oil and salted or unsalted butter, which I also do.

If you want to make this dairy-free recipe, replace butter with oil.

You can use any oil of choice, like sunflower oil, canola oil, light olive oil, etc.

Shrimp – Fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp both work great in this recipe. If using frozen shrimp, then make sure to thaw them before using.

I use medium shrimp, but small or jumbo works well, too. Just keep in mind the time of cooking. If the shrimp are small, cook them for 3-4 minutes, and if you are using jumbo shrimp, cook them for 7-8 minutes.

Zucchini – I added zucchini and onions for a nice bite. You can add other vegetables like mushrooms, bok choy, broccoli, bell peppers, etc.

Soy Sauce – This Japanese Hibachi shrimp recipe is flavored only with soy sauce, which gives it an umami flavor. You can use low-sodium soy sauce if you wish.

Others – You will also need fresh ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Add a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, dry white wine, dry sherry, or mirin to this recipe.

Add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes to make the dish spicy.

You will need a large wok or cast-iron skillet to prepare this delicious Hibachi Shrimp Recipe. They will give it a nice sear similar to the hot griddle at the Hibachi grills. You can also use a non-stick skillet, but the sear will not be similar.

How To Make Hibachi Style Shrimp

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) in a large wok over high heat.

Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1 teaspoon minced ginger and sauté for 3-4 seconds.

Add 1 small zucchini (cut into batons) and 1 cup of sliced onions and saute for a minute.

Add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, and 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the zucchini is slightly softened.

Note – Do not over-cook. You want zucchini to have a nice bite.

Now add 12 oz (350 g) of cleaned and deveined medium-sized shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are pink, stirring frequently.

Note – If using small shrimp, cook them for 3-4 minutes; if using jumbo shrimp, cook them for 7-8 minutes.

Do not overcook; otherwise, they will turn chewy.

Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped scallions (spring onion greens) and serve warm.

Pro Tips By Neha

The shrimp cooks fast and goes from perfectly cooked to rubbery in a few seconds. So keep an eye out and do not overcook.

Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over the ready shrimp for a nice crunch.