Salt and Pepper Shrimp (椒盐虾)

Growing up in Northern China, seafood was quite expensive and was typically an occasional treat. Salt and pepper shrimp was always one of my favorite appetizers when we went to a restaurant. Back in China, restaurants usually use head-on shrimp with the shell to make this dish. The shrimp are lightly battered and fried until crispy, and tossed in a salt and pepper mixture. It tastes heavenly served with cold beer.

Making salt and pepper shrimp in a home kitchen, I made some small adjustments and used peeled shrimp instead. Even though fried shrimp shells are OK to eat and are supposed to have a lot of calcium, it’s not my favorite part. Plus, when I’m busy, I do like to use peeled and deveined frozen shrimp to make my life easier.

Cooking process

Cooking salt and pepper shrimp is so easy. The cooking process is separated into two parts.

Part 1 – shallow fry the shrimp

• Coat the shrimp with cornstarch
• Shallow fry both sides until cooked through and crispy
• Drain the shrimp on a wire rack to get rid of the excess oil

Note: you can drain the shrimp on paper towels as well, but I prefer to avoid this method because it might make the bottom of the shrimp soggy.

Part 2 – Toss the shrimp with aromatics

• Saute garlic and chile pepper to release fragrance
• Toss the shrimp with the garlic and chile pepper
• Add the salt and pepper mixture and toss again

That’s it! You will get super juicy and crispy shrimp that are bursting with flavor.

It’s best to serve the dish immediately when the shrimp are hot. But the coating stays crispy pretty well and will remain tasty even after the shrimp cool off a bit.

Cooking notes

(1) Leave the shrimp tails on

I prefer to use frozen shrimp when I’m busy. If you bought shell-on shrimp, try to leave the tails on when you peel the shrimp. I find it easy to grab the tail of the shrimp when you coat them in the batter.

(2) Salt and pepper mixture

The classic northern salt and pepper mixture always uses one part salt and one part white pepper. If you have Sichuan peppercorns on hand, you can replace the white pepper with ground Sichuan peppercorn to create a different flavor profile, like the ones in Sichuan restaurants.

(3) How much oil to use

You can use very little oil to pan fry the shrimp. But I found that the texture gets so much better if you add enough oil to cover half of the shrimp to shallow fry them. The coating will turn fluffy, crispy, and a bit crunchy.

More delicious shrimp recipes

• Honey Garlic Shrimp
• Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp
• Shrimp Egg Foo Young
• Cheesy Shrimp Baked Spring Rolls
• 3-Ingredient Fried Shrimp
• 15-Minute Shrimp Soup with Tofu and Kale

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp (椒盐虾)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 6 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 servings

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This salt and pepper shrimp is perfect for you if you’re looking for an easy appetizer. The juicy shrimp are coated with a crunchy crispy coating and tossed in a garlicky salt and pepper mixture, creating a delicious dish no one can refuse. {Gluten-Free}

Ingredients 

• 1 lb (450 g) shrimp , peeled & deveined

Coating

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Pepper salt

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (*Footnote 1)

Cooking

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 red chile peppers , sliced (Optional)

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Instructions

• Dry the shrimp thoroughly with paper towels.
• Mix the salt and cornstarch in a plate or tray. Add the shrimp. Mix everything together until all the shrimp are lightly coated in the cornstarch.
• Make the pepper salt by mixing the salt and white pepper together in a small bowl.
• Heat 1/4” (1/2 cm) of oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375 °F (190 °C). If you do not have a thermometer, drop a tiny pinch of cornstarch into the oil. You should see small bubbles rapidly forming around the cornstarch. (*Footnote 2)
• Line a baking tray with a wire rack.
• Add the shrimp one at a time into the pan in a single layer. Use your fingers to grab the tail of the shrimp, shake off the extra cornstarch, and gently lay the shrimp into the oil. You might need to cook the shrimp in batches. Cook each side for about 2 minutes, until the surface turns pale golden and the shrimp are curled. Once done, transfer the cooked shrimp onto the lined baking sheet to drain the extra oil.
• Once all the shrimp are done cooking, pour the extra oil into a ceramic bowl and only leave about 2 teaspoons of oil in the pan.
• Add the garlic and chile peppers into the pan. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
• Add the shrimp and sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture over them. Toss until the shrimp are evenly coated.
• Transfer everything to a plate and serve hot as an appetizer or over steamed rice as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. You can use Ground Sichuan peppercorns instead of white pepper to create a numbing tingling spiciness.
2. You can also use a deep fryer for this step.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 12.4g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 8.8g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Cholesterol: 239mg, Sodium: 569mg, Potassium: 205mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 1mg

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Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.