Bottom Line: The new Sizzling Shrimp from Panda Express may come up short on the heat, but it is quite tasty and adding their chili sauce kicks up the burn.
There are lots of lent options at the fast food and fast casual chains for this time of year when many people are not eating meat on Fridays, but most of those involve fish. Panda Express is offering a change of pace, though, with a shrimp dish that just arrived on the menu, and that one comes with a bit of a kick. Their new Sizzling Shrimp combines shrimp, garlic, ginger, and veggies (like baby broccoli, onions, and red peppers) and tosses those with a tangy sauce before cooking it all up in a hot wok. And I decided to give it a try to see just how “sizzling” it is. (Points to Panda Express for keeping the “g” in sizzling instead of following the overused apostrophe trend and calling them Sizzlin’.)
The shrimp are nice and plump and plenty tender. They are not quite jumbo-sized, but still pretty meaty with none of that off-putting iodine taste, and these actually compare well to shrimp that I have had in casual sit-down restaurants. They are not deep-fried which is a nice change of pace for Asian fast food, and they are well covered in the savory sauce that delivers some tang. There is a slight sweetness to the sauce as well which acts as a good balance to the other flavors. There is also a hint of garlic in the dish, and a whiff of ginger as well. The veggies are tender, but not overcooked. And the sizable pieces of broccoli (which are not the baby version promised) offer a nice, earthy companion to the shrimp.
As far as the heat level, though, the dish as prepared falls well short. Even though it has good flavor and a nice zing from the seasonings and sauce, it does not even approach the Mild level on my scale. I have seen other reviews online that put it at the mild level, but the order I got fell short of that. Those who cannot handle spicy food (we weep for them) will likely have no trouble with this dish, and chiliheads will certainly be disappointed in something advertised as a spicy entree. Still, this is quite a good dish taste-wise even if it doesn’t meet expectations on the heat.
And fret not because Panda Express has you covered in the form of their chili sauce. It comes in little packets that they add to your bag, and I advise asking for extra. This is a Sriracha sauce, but it is not quite the same as the better-known Huy Fung version. It is a bright, tangy sauce that is less garlic-forward than Huy Fung’s and also doesn’t have the same degree of funk from the fermenting of the chilis. That’s not a bad thing though as this has more of a straight chili sauce taste and it delivers a kick. I would put the sauce at close to Medium on my scale which is higher than the mild level of Huy Fung’s. If Panda Express were to bottle this and sell it, I believe it would fly off the shelves. (Don’t sleep on their hot mustard either.) And with the chili sauce added to the Sizzling Shrimp, it really comes alive.
The shrimp can be ordered as part of a bowl (with one side), a plate (two entrees and one side), or a bigger plate (three entrees and two sides). Though note that it counts as a “premium” entrée, so they add $1.25 to the price for each portion. They give you four to five shrimp per order which works out fine when you add in the veggies and side. I didn’t see the calorie count for this on their website, but I am guessing it is similar to the Wok Fired Shrimp which is 190 calories per portion. Don’t think that you are getting off easy, though, because when you add in the fried rice or Lo Mein along with another entrée and that egg roll you know you will get, this isn’t going to count as a low-calorie meal!
As expected, the Sizzling Shrimp is on loan from Limited-Time-Only-Ville and will likely be going away sometime after lent. But that still gives you a few weeks to run by and give it a try. Panda Express is the largest Asian-inspired chain in the country and has locations in most states as well as some other countries. You can check for a location near you at their website. And while the Sizzling Shrimp may disappoint on the heat level, their chili sauce makes up for that and turns it into a spicy and tasty dish. (And you can tell your mom that you are eating your vegetables!)