This shrimp recipe for classic Chinese dish of salt and pepper shrimp is sure to please your taste buds. This excellent aromatic appetizer is a little salty, a little peppery, and a little spicy with tons of fragrant crispy minced garlic. And this crispy snack is very simple to make compared to other Chinese cuisine recipes. In addition, it takes just a few minutes to make. There is no hard to find ingredients or any extensive preparation required. Actually it only takes about 30 minute from start to finish to make this perfect, delicious, aromatic dish.
And it gets even easier, this adaptation of the recipe calls for shelled and deveined shrimp, (the original has heads on, shells and tails on). No need to struggle trying to get the shells off, getting all messy while enjoying tasty salt and pepper shrimp. The cleaned shrimp is dredged in a light coating of cornstarch for a wonderful crispy crust on the outside while she shrimp stays juicy and buttery on the inside. A win win situation.
The flavorful seasoning is made from traditional ground white and Szechuan peppercorns mixed with sea salt, and chopped garlic and minced Serrano Chile added at the end.
I prefer using sea salt instead of other salt in this recipe because it has a better flavor to it. And since it is one of the main ingredients of this great dish you need to go for the best. The peppercorns are first toasted until fragrant but not burnt, then grind them coarsely and combine with sea salt to create the spice for the dish. The shrimp is quickly seared in oil in a hot wok to create a beautiful golden crust than the spice mix that we created added together with fresh garlic and chilies. Shrimp cooks really fast with garlic and chilies, make sure to not overdo it otherwise you are gonna end up with rubbery, chewy salt and pepper shrimp, and nobody likes it, it is like flashing your money down the drain.
Salt and pepper shrimp is fantastic when served over rice or as a quick appetizer with good dipping sauces. You can also stuff corn tortillas with them to make scrumptious, flavorful tacos with chicken and mushrooms.