Do you ever see the freshwater prawns in the water tanks in Chinese restaurants? Well, what if I told you, you can save money from cooking it yourself?
Because you absolutely can. Today I’m sharing with you a steamed shrimp recipe “白灼虾” that you can make at home that is cheap, easy, and delicious. This recipe is super simple. In Chinese cooking, when the seafood is fresh, we like to keep the seasoning minimal in order to really let the seafood flavor shine. And the freshness of shrimp is undeniably the most delicious. In today’s recipe, I paired this simple boiled shrimp with a chili soy sauce. The spiciness of the chili soy sauce gives the shrimp the kick that makes it so irresistible and addicting. Get ready to have a plate full of shells when you’re making this dish! Next time you see the shrimp on sale at the Chinese market, make sure to buy a few pounds and make this dish yourself! It’s a big crowd pleaser at family dinners!
Where do find fresh shrimp?
You can buy fresh shrimp in water tanks at Chinese supermarkets.
How to keep shrimp it fresh?
Do not under any circumstances store your shrimp in fresh water at home. Seafood needs to have a nice balance of fresh ocean water for seafood to live in tanks, when you submerge fresh seafood in fresh water, the shock will kill your seafood immediately. The best way to store your shrimp for the time before cooking is in the refrigerator.
What are the types of shrimp?
At my supermarket, fresh water shrimp has a very limited selection, and it is seasonal so its not always available. I was able to find a more affordable shrimp called flower shrimp “花虾” which is smaller in size, about an inch in length. But this shrimp is surprisingly affordable at $10-16 per pound. The ones that are more commonly known as the premium shrimp are spot prawns. These shrimps are bigger in size and meatier, and can cost a premium of $32-42 a pound.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh shrimp
- 2 Thai chilis
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water on medium heat
- Slice and deseed the Thai chilis
- Boil a second pot on high heat and add oil. Once oil is steaming hot from the pot, pour hot oil over Thai chilis in a bowl and add soy sauce.
- Once water is boiled, add shrimp to pot and cook. Depending on size of shrimp, cook times can vary. Once shrimp turns to reddish orange color, shrimp is cooked.
- Drain shrimp is colander and serve with Thai chili sauce.
Chinese Steamed Shrimp
Chinese boiled shrimp is a deliciously simple recipe. I paired this simple boiled shrimp with a chili soy sauce. The spiciness of the chili soy sauce gives the shrimp th kick that makes it so irresistible and addicting.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 1x
- Method: boil
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh shrimp
- 2 Thai chilis
- 2 tbspSoy sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water on medium heat
- Slice and deseed the Thai chilis
- Boil a second pot on high heat and add oil. Once oil is steaming hot from the pot, pour hot oil over Thai chilis in a bowl and add soy sauce.
- Once water is boiled, add shrimp to pot and cook. Depending on size of shrimp, cook times can vary. Once shrimp turns to reddish orange color, shrimp is cooked.
- Drain shrimp is colander and serve with Thai chili sauce.
Keywords: chinese steamed shrimp
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