{"id":109733,"title":"Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp","modified":"2025-10-29T16:11:03+01:00","plain":"A delicious recipe for salt and pepper shrimp, perfectly crispy and coated in a super flavorful seasoning with garlic, chili, and salt.\n\n\n\nIn northern China, the culinary tradition stands out for using whole shrimp, head and shell on, to prepare classic dishes\u2014a method that highlights the importance of authentic flavors and texture in regional cooking.\n\n\n\nThe delicious stir-fried shrimp noodles from Shanghai\n\n\n\nThis approach, while less convenient than using peeled shrimp, is favored for how it intensifies the taste experience. The shrimp are carefully coated in a light batter and fried until golden and crisp, while the meat stays tender inside.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe final seasoning with a mix of salt and pepper brings the dish together, enhancing the shrimp\u2019s natural flavors. Simple and unpretentious.\n\n\n\nOn the other hand, in many other regions\u2014especially in Western kitchens\u2014people often prefer peeled shrimp for convenience.\n\n\n\nThis method makes prep and eating easier, but sometimes you lose a bit of the depth of flavor and texture you get with whole shrimp. Still, we\u2019re talking about subtle differences here. I\u2019ve tried both, and both versions were delicious, so there you go.\n\n\n\nKey Ingredients for Salt and Pepper Shrimp\n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t need much to make something great\n\n\n\nSichuan pepper: Personally, I love the flavor, but I get that it\u2019s not for everyone (you can also use Sansho pepper). If not, go for white pepper, or as a last resort: black pepper. It\u2019ll still taste great.\n\n\n\nCornstarch: This gives you that ultra-crispy texture. A 50\/50 mix of sweet potato starch and tapioca works really well too.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tSalt and Pepper Shrimp\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tWok\t\n\t\n\t\t450 g shrimp (raw, peeled)Coating125 g cornstarchsalt and pepper, to tasteSeasoning1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (ground)1 teaspoon saltStir-Fryneutral oil6 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)2 red chilies (fresh, thinly sliced)scallions, thinly sliced (for garnish)\t\n\t\n\t\tThoroughly pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.On a plate or tray, mix the salt and cornstarch. Add the shrimp and toss until they are lightly coated.In a small bowl, combine the salt and ground Sichuan pepper.Heat 1.5 cm of oil in a medium skillet or wok over medium-high heat until it reaches 190 \u00b0C. If you don't have a thermometer, dip a wooden spoon into the oil: small bubbles should quickly form around the cornstarch.Add the shrimp to the pan one by one in a single layer. Hold each shrimp by the tail, shake off excess cornstarch, and gently lower it into the oil. Cook in batches if needed. Fry about 2 minutes per side, until pale golden and curled.Transfer the shrimp to a wire rack to drain.Once all the shrimp are cooked, pour off the remaining oil into a bowl, leaving just a little in the pan. Remove any coating residue or it will burn.Add the garlic and chilies to the wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.Add the shrimp and sprinkle with the salt-and-pepper mixture. Toss until evenly coated.Transfer to a plate and garnish with scallions.\t\n\t\n\t\tIt's really important to remove any coating residue, even if that means discarding all the oil or switching pans\/woks. If it burns, it will ruin the flavor. (Speaking from experience\u2014RIP the shrimp from test no. 2.)\n\t\n\t\n\t\tEntr\u00e9e, Plat principalChinoise\t\n\n\n\n\n\nCulinary Sources\n\n\n\nI based this on the recipe from the English-language blog Just One Cookbook. I adjusted the amounts of seasoning and garlic.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109733"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110168,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109733\/revisions\/110168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}