Sizzling Sweet & Sour Seafood
Submitted by 2151
Chinese sizzling sweet and sour seafood with shrimp, scallops, and vegetables in a tangy sauce poured over deep-fried rice cakes for a dramatic tableside sizzle.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThe sizzle is the whole show. Shrimp and scallops stir-fried with vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce, then poured over piping-hot deep-fried rice cakes at the table. The moment the sauce hits the hot rice, it erupts in a spectacular hiss and cloud of steam. It’s restaurant-level Chinese cooking theater you can pull off at home.
The sauce gets mixed ahead: sugar, white wine vinegar, chicken broth, soy sauce, dry sherry, and cornstarch. Having it ready means you can pour it in the moment the seafood and vegetables return to the wok. Stir-frying moves fast, and fumbling with measurements mid-cook means overcooked shrimp.
Two rounds of stir-frying keep everything cooked correctly. Shrimp and scallops go first over screaming high heat for three minutes with garlic and fresh ginger, then come out while they’re still just-done. The vegetables (carrots, bamboo shoots, bell pepper, and scallions) go next. Carrots and bamboo get a head start since they’re denser, then pepper and onion join for the last minute. Everything reunites with the sauce for the final bubble and thicken.
The rice cakes need to be fried right before serving and brought to the table still crackling hot. Any delay and the sizzle fizzles.
Chef Tips
- Have every ingredient prepped and within arm’s reach before you heat the wok. Stir-frying waits for no one
- Slice the carrots paper thin so they cook through in three minutes. Thick slices stay crunchy
- The sauce should bubble and thicken within 30 seconds of hitting the hot wok. If it doesn’t, the heat isn’t high enough
- Use a preheated bowl for the seafood mixture. A cold bowl cools it down before it reaches the rice
Variations
- Use firm white fish chunks instead of scallops for a more economical version
- Add fresh pineapple chunks to the stir-fry for classic sweet and sour character
- Serve over steamed rice instead of sizzling rice cakes for a simpler weeknight version
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine sugar, vinegar, broth, soy sauce, sherry and cornstarch for cooking sauce, set aside.
Heat wok or wide frying pan over high heat.
When pan is hot, add 1½ tablespoon of the oil.
When oil begins to heat, add garlic and ginger.
Stir once, then add shrimp and scallops and stir fry until shrimp turn pink and scallops are opaque throughout (about 3 minutes).
Remove from pan and set aside. Heat the remaining 1½ tablespoon oil in the pan.
Add carrot and bamboo shoots and stir fry for 3 minutes, adding a few drops of water if pan appears dry.
Add pepper, onion, and salt and stir fry for one minute.
Return shrimp and scallops to pan. Stir cooking sauce, pour into pan, and cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens.
Turn off heat, cover and keep hot while you fry sizzling rice as recipe directs.
Turn seafood mixture into a preheated bowl. Bring hot fried rice cakes to the table on a platter and immediately pour over seafood mixture.
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