So easy to make and always a family favorite! We love shrimp, and it’s a regular in our dinner rotation. From the best shrimp curry to shrimp rice noodles, shrimp rice bowls, shrimp bao buns, cajun shrimp, steamed shrimp, grilled shrimp appetizers, shrimp katsu sandwiches (ebi katsu) etc., we find a variety of ways to transform shrimp into incredible dishes!
Salt and pepper shrimp
This Szechuan Salt and Pepper Shrimp recipe is no different! It’s a slight twist on the classic, ever-popular salt and pepper shrimp (or salt and pepper prawns as we call them in Australia and NZ). Salty, spicy, zesty shrimp fried to crispy perfection with the shell (AND the head!), and dusted with a spicy roasted szechuan salt! 🙂 It’s no wonder why this dish is so popular.
About szechan (sichuan) peppercorn
Salt and pepper shrimp is nothing new to me as I grew up eating this dish in its numerous variants. BUT, using szechuan peppercorn in my cooking is certainly new. Szechuan pepper has a flavor unlike no other. It’s a spice that’s extremely popular in a lot of Asian cuisine, but it’s also a little on the pricey side due to its distinction. Plus, the authentic version is somewhat hard to find, and cheaper, poor-quality impersonators are everywhere. I was exposed to sub-par szechuan peppercorn for a long time, and as a result did not particularly enjoy using it in my cooking. But I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the real deal recently, and went right ahead and used it generously that first time – BIG mistake! We ended up numbing all our taste buds and palate and lips, and pretty much our whole face! So what did I do? I turned to this gorgeous lady who knows Chinese cuisine inside and out – Maggie from Omnivores cookbook. She introduced me to a few beginner recipes that helped me understand how to cook with szechuan peppercorn well, and I haven’t looked back. A little szechuan peppercorn goes a very long way if you’re using authentic szechuan pepper and elevates any dish with an exciting spicy, floral flavor with a pleasant and surprising numbing sensation. For this Szechuan salt and pepper shrimp recipe (salt and pepper prawns), I made a roasted szechuan pepper salt. This is a very versatile salt, but you have to be sure to balance the flavor of szechuan pepper to salt, so that the peppercorn doesn’t overwhelm you. Make sure to read the notes that I’ve included in this recipe to decide what kind of szechuan pepper to salt ratio you’d like to go with for your salt. I use this roasted salt in everything from stir fries to even simple syrup, because this salt makes for one really interesting margarita! 🙂 If you like it spicy – then go with a 1:1 ratio of salt to peppercorns, if not I would recommend a 2:1 ratio. If you prefer something in between – then go with a 4:3 ratio.
About the shrimp
Shrimp (prawns) are one of my favorite types of seafood to eat. I didn’t like fish as a kid (it’s a different story now and fish curry is one I make weekly now!), but loved shrimp. I know that some people have reservations about this, but don’t be put off by deep fried shrimp with the shell and the head! That is how I’ve eaten shrimp all my life (like this shrimp curry, grilled shrimp appetizers, steamed shrimp and mushroom parcels etc.), and that’s because the entire shrimp is completely and perfectly edible, including the head. But you are welcome to remove the head if you prefer, but NOT the shell or the tail for this recipe.
Why you should leave the shrimp shell and tail intact for this recipe
I have coated the shrimp shell with tapioca starch (or cornstarch) here, which turns crispy when fried, along with making the shell beautifully crunchy! Also, shrimp/prawns cook very quickly. The shell acts as a barrier between the very hot oil and the soft shrimp flesh inside and helps keep the flesh soft and juicy. So you can fry your shrimp a little longer to make the outside completely crispy, without drying out the shrimp inside. The best of both worlds.
How to clean the shrimp
There are several ways to clean head on shrimp (see my post and video here on how to clean shrimp). Here I used the method where I cut along the “spine” of the shell to reveal the tract which can then be removed and cleaned. I chose this method because when I marinated the shrimp with garlic and the szechuan salt mix, this cut area lets the marinade penetrate the flesh and flavor the shrimp on the inside as well. But you can choose to keep the shrimp whole, and clean the tract using the toothpick method (which is also explained in that post). You can also remove the head if you like, but DO NOT throw them away. They are amazing for seafood stock/soup!
How to cook Asian salt and pepper shrimp
Once the shrimp have marinated for an hour (or 2 at most), you can cook them in 1 of 2 ways. The first is to coat them with corn starch or tapioca starch/flour and deep fry on high heat until crisp and a light golden brown. The second is to grill the shrimp on a pan or grill. Here of course, I chose to deep fry them to crispy perfection. It wouldn’t be salt and pepper shrimp otherwise. Make sure the oil is heated to a good 400°F. When you add multiple shrimp into your pan, the oil temperature goes down, and that’s definitely not going to help with that beautiful crispy, crunchy texture that we all love. The cooking time for the shrimp is usually between 1.5 – 2 minutes. Then remove from the hot oil and let them drain on a wire rack. They are best served hot (or warm), so you can keep them in a warm oven until ready to be served. Next, toss them with extra roasted szechuan pepper salt, and crushed red chili flakes (crushed red pepper), and serve with lime wedges. The BEST szechuan salt and pepper shrimp (salt and pepper prawns) deserve the BEST dipping sauce too, so why not make a batch of this amazing spicy sweet chili sauce to go with it as well? 🙂 Crispy and crunchy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside with lots of flavor – these really are the best salt and pepper shrimp!
Recipe video
What’s your favorite way to eat shrimp? Let me know in the comments! If you liked this szechuan salt and pepper shrimp (Asian salt and pepper prawns) recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
