Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
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Shrimp with lobster sauce is a Cantonese-American dish of plump shrimp in a savory, garlicky sauce thickened with egg — and despite the name, it contains no lobster. The 'lobster sauce' is named because it's the same savory garlic–black bean and egg sauce traditionally served with lobster in Cantonese cooking. It's built on fermented black beans (douchi), garlic, ground pork, and chicken stock, finished with beaten egg stirred in at the end to form silky ribbons, and thickened with cornstarch. The keys are mincing the fermented black beans and garlic to bloom their pungent, savory flavor, not overcooking the shrimp (they cook in about two minutes), and streaming the egg in off the heat so it sets into soft ribbons rather than scrambling hard. It comes together in about 25 minutes and is wonderful over steamed rice.
Why you'll love this shrimp with lobster sauce
- The Cantonese restaurant classic — plump shrimp in a savory garlic–black bean sauce with silky egg.
- Deeply savory and comforting, yet ready in 25 minutes.
- Settles the mystery: there's no lobster — just a luxurious, glossy sauce.
- Hard-to-find ingredients flagged with substitutes.
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp white peppersubstitutes →
Sauce base
- 4 oz ground pork
- 2 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed and mincedsubstitutes →
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
Sauce & finish
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oilsubstitutes →
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Hard-to-find ingredients, delivered
Stock the pantry once and you can cook this anytime: Shaoxing wine, white pepper, fermented black beans. Asian groceries deliver nationwide.
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet — Room to stir the egg into ribbons at the end.(shop →)
Instructions
Prep the shrimp & beans
Toss the shrimp with the Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and white pepper. Rinse the fermented black beans, then mince them. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, and stock together.
💡 Rinsing the fermented black beans before mincing tames the saltiness while keeping their deep, savory funk.
Sear the shrimp, set aside
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high. Sear the shrimp just until pink and barely cooked, about 1–2 minutes, then remove — they'll finish in the sauce.
Build the savory base
Add the last 1 tbsp oil, then the ground pork; break it up and cook until no longer pink. Add the black beans, garlic, and ginger and stir 30 seconds until very fragrant.
Thicken the sauce
Pour in the stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until glossy and lightly thickened.
Add egg ribbons & serve
Return the shrimp. Turn off the heat, then slowly stream in the beaten eggs while gently stirring so they set into soft ribbons. Stir in the scallions and sesame oil and serve over rice.
💡 Add the egg off the heat and stir gently — you want silky ribbons, not a hard scramble.
Tips & notes
- There is no lobster — the name comes from the sauce traditionally served with lobster. Don't go looking for it.
- Rinse and mince the fermented black beans (douchi); they're the soul of the sauce. No douchi? See our fermented black bean substitute guide.
- Don't overcook the shrimp — sear them briefly, remove, and let them finish in the hot sauce so they stay plump and snappy.
- Stream the egg in off the heat for soft ribbons; some like the egg barely set, others fully — both are traditional.
- Skip the ground pork for a lighter or pescatarian version; add a few extra shrimp or some mushrooms instead.
Recipe wording too vague?
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Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 4 oz ground pork
- 2 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed and minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Toss the shrimp with the Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and white pepper. Rinse the fermented black beans, then mince them. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, and stock together.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high. Sear the shrimp just until pink and barely cooked, about 1–2 minutes, then remove — they'll finish in the sauce.
- Add the last 1 tbsp oil, then the ground pork; break it up and cook until no longer pink. Add the black beans, garlic, and ginger and stir 30 seconds until very fragrant.
- Pour in the stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until glossy and lightly thickened.
- Return the shrimp. Turn off the heat, then slowly stream in the beaten eggs while gently stirring so they set into soft ribbons. Stir in the scallions and sesame oil and serve over rice.
Nutrition (est., per serving): 300 cal · 30 g protein · 10 g carbs · 16 g fat
Shrimp with Lobster Sauce FAQ
Is there lobster in shrimp with lobster sauce?
No — there's no lobster at all. The dish is named after the sauce: a savory garlic, fermented-black-bean, and egg sauce that's traditionally served with lobster in Cantonese cooking. When made with shrimp instead, it keeps the same 'lobster sauce,' hence the slightly confusing name. It's shrimp in that luxurious sauce, nothing more.
What is lobster sauce made of?
A savory base of fermented black beans (douchi), garlic, and often a little ground pork, simmered with chicken stock and thickened with cornstarch, then finished with beaten egg stirred in to form silky ribbons. It's seasoned with soy sauce and white pepper. The fermented black beans give it its deep, pungent, umami character.
What are fermented black beans and can I substitute them?
Fermented black beans (douchi) are salted, fermented soybeans with an intense savory-funky flavor — the heart of this sauce. If you can't find them, prepared black bean sauce or black bean garlic sauce works (use a bit less and reduce added salt). See our fermented black bean substitute guide for details.
How do you keep the shrimp from getting rubbery?
Sear them only briefly — about 1–2 minutes, just until pink — then remove them and add them back at the end to finish gently in the hot sauce. Overcooked shrimp turn tough and rubbery; the goal is plump and just-cooked. A light cornstarch coating also helps protect them.
Can I make shrimp with lobster sauce without pork?
Yes. The ground pork adds savory depth, but you can leave it out for a lighter or pescatarian dish — add a few extra shrimp or some minced mushrooms for body. The fermented black beans, garlic, and egg still give the sauce plenty of flavor on their own.
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