30 Minute Hoisin Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Name: 30 Minute Hoisin Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Cantonese Inspired
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed (frozen is fine); 1/3 cup hoisin sauce; 2" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 2 Tablespoons); kosher salt, to taste; 12 large butter lettuce leaves; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped; 2 large radishes, julienned (sliced into thin strips); 1 large carrot, shredded; 2 green onions, sliced; 1 lime, sliced into wedges

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These hoisin shrimp lettuce wraps are full of flavor and ready in 30 minutes. An easy, healthy recipe for busy weeknights!

These quick shrimp wraps come together in just a few minutes with a bag of frozen shrimp! A rich hoisin sauce, fresh ginger, and plenty of veggies make this recipe a hit.

Serve these wraps on their own for a simple main dish, or use them as an appetizer before a larger meal. They're easy to customize with whatever you have on hand!

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Ingredients Overview
Substitutions and variations
Step by Step Instructions
FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments & Reviews

Ingredients Overview

Not pictured: Olive oil. Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.

This is a simple recipe, but we want to highlight a few things before you get started:

Frozen shrimp. Look for raw medium or large shrimp that are deveined, with shells and tails removed. Defrost the shrimp if you prefer (it'll cook a bit quicker), but it's not essential. Frozen shrimp release more water as they cook; you may need to reduce the final sauce a bit to compensate. We use and recommend U.S.-caught wild shrimp, which has a "Best Choice" rating from Seafood Watch.
Butter lettuce leaves are our go-to for lettuce wraps. Large romaine leaves or cabbage leaves also work.
Hoisin sauce helps us pack complex flavor into these shrimp wraps with minimal prep. We used Wegmans hoisin sauce in these photos; we've also tested this recipe with Lee Kum Kee and Ka-Me sauces. Hoisin varies by brand in flavor and intensity: Adjust the amount to suit your tastes.
Grated ginger adds important flavor and dimension. Fresh ginger works best here, but you can use store-bought ginger paste - found in a jar or a squeezable tube - in a pinch. We don't recommend using dried ground ginger. Learn more: How to grate ginger.

A note about hoisin

Hoisin is an umami-forward condiment popular in Chinese (and more specifically, Cantonese) cuisine. This thick, slightly sweet sauce features a variety of spices and seasonings with a fermented soybean base. Hoisin translates to "seafood sauce", although isn't typically used in seafood dishes (nor does it contain seafood!) Using hoisin in shrimp lettuce wraps is not traditional, although it's a tasty addition to this recipe. Learn more: Usage and Origins of Hoisin (video); All About Hoisin Sauce (article).

Substitutions and variations

We kept these wraps purposefully simple, but there are so many ways to make them your own! A few of our favorite riffs:

Add spice. A drizzle of chili oil, chili crisp, or sriracha gives these wraps a nice kick. They're also good with a bit of peanut sauce or some crushed toasted peanuts on top!
For a more complex sauce, whisk a bit of soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, or grated fresh garlic into the hoisin before you toss it with the shrimp.
Add extra veggies! Shredded cabbage, cucumber, edamame, and bean sprouts are all tasty here.
Swap the shrimp for chicken, tofu, ground pork, or chick peas. You can also add rice, noodles (cooked rice noodles or crispy fried noodles) or fried rice to these wraps to make them heartier.

Step by Step Instructions

Adding hoisin and ginger to a skillet with shrimp.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet, then add your shrimp. If you're using defrosted shrimp, they'll start to cook fairly quickly. Because I tend to reach for this recipe on extra-busy weeknights, my shrimp is almost always frozen when it goes into the pan - and it works fine!

Cook until the shrimp just barely start to turn pink, then add hoisin sauce and fresh grated ginger (Image 1, above) Stir everything together. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the shrimp have curled up and cooked through (2).

Pro Tip: Frozen shrimp will release some water as they cook; if you're using fresh or defrosted shrimp, you won't notice as much liquid in the pan.

Removing cooked shrimp and reducing hoisin sauce.

Use a slotted spoon to remove cooked shrimp from the pan (3). If the remaining hoisin sauce looks thin, bring it to a low simmer and cook for a few minutes to thicken it up. (If you started with frozen shrimp, you will likely need to reduce the sauce a bit!)

You're looking for a fairly thick sauce that's easy to drizzle — similar to the texture of barbecue sauce (4).

Fill each lettuce wrap with several shrimp, then top with veggies and a drizzle of the remaining hoisin sauce. Serve with lime wedges: a squeeze of fresh lime juice adds a beautiful bright, citrusy note!

Drizzling hoisin sauce over shrimp wraps.

FAQs

What side dish goes with lettuce wraps?

I love to pair these fresh, crisp, low carb lettuce wraps with sides that are a bit heartier and cozier. Try them with a make-ahead Greek yogurt potato salad, quick wonton crackers, or a warm veggie like lemon parmesan broccoli or garlic green beans. These wraps also pair well with homemade vegetable chow mein (or this Cantonese chow mein), or mushroom fried rice. You can also use leftover hoisin sauce for a quick vegetable stir fry on the side!

What is the best lettuce for wraps?

We used butter lettuce in these chicken salad wrap photos, but you can use any large lettuce leaves you like! Large romaine leaves or Boston bibb lettuce (aka butter lettuce) work well here; you can also use large leaves of cabbage, kale, or any large green-leaf lettuce you see at the store!

Can I make lettuce wraps ahead of time?

You can prep all of the ingredients (including the hoisin shrimp!) ahead of time. Let shrimp cool completely after cooking, and store all prepped ingredients in airtight containers in the fridge until you're ready to use them. Carrots and radishes will keep up to 5 days in the fridge; cilantro, green onions, and cooked shrimp are best eaten within 2-3 days. No need to reheat the shrimp if you make it ahead of time - these wraps are just as good cold! We've also used leftover hoisin shrimp and veggies as the filling for homemade spring rolls.

Once assembled, we recommend eating these lettuce wraps right away: If you keep assembled wraps in the fridge for more than a few hours, the lettuce will start to wilt and will lose its crisp texture.