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Salt and Pepper Shrimp - Chinese restaurant-style crispy shrimp recipe for you to make at home. SO easy, yummy & budget friendly!
Chinese Salt And Pepper Shrimp
Salt and pepper, two of the most basic ingredients in a kitchen. They do wonders for Chinese deep-fried dishes, such as this Salt and Pepper Shrimp and salt and pepper squid. Other recipe variations include everyone’s favorite street food snack Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken.
This Salt and Pepper Shrimp is one of the most requested recipes from my readers. Finally, you can have the recipe to make it at home.
Ingredients For Salt And Pepper Shrimp
For the shrimp, I recommend buying it with the shell and head on because the recipe will not be the same if it’s made with peeled shrimp.
I usually get my shrimp from the seafood section of Asian supermarkets.
They are frozen and come in a rectangle paper box, but you can always buy the quantity you want from the seafood section.
Somehow, the shrimp sold in regular supermarkets usually has an ammonia taste and they are not ideal for this recipe.
How To Make Salt And Pepper Shrimp
My recipe calls for a two-step process that promises restaurant-style Salt and Pepper Shrimp.
First, deep fry the shrimp with a light and crispy frying batter, and then lightly toss the fried shrimp in a wok with chopped green onion, red chili, salt, and pepper.
The end result is a serving that tastes like it’s straight from a Chinese restaurant kitchen!
This recipe is actually adapted from the salt and pepper squid recipe in my cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes.
The cooking process is the same, which means that you can use the same recipe to make squid.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 210 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Ingredients
- 10 oz. shrimp, head-on, shell-on
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- oil , for deep-frying
Frying Batter:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder , or baking soda
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pinch salt
Stir-fry:
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon green onion, scallion, chopped
- some red chili , or green jalapeno, sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the shrimp under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, then marinate with salt and white pepper for about 15 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the Frying Batter until well combined. Add the shrimp to the batter and stir to coat evenly.
- To deep-fry the shrimp, heat 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of oil in a wok or stockpot to 350°F (175°C). Gently drop the shrimp into the oil and use a spatula to loosen them immediately, preventing them from clumping together.
- Deep-fry the shrimp until they are light golden brown and the batter is crispy. Remove them with a strainer or slotted spoon, draining the excess oil by placing the shrimp on a wire rack or on a dish lined with paper towels.
- To stir-fry, heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the chopped green onion and chili or jalapeño, stirring quickly for a few seconds. Add the fried shrimp to the skillet, followed by the salt and white pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients well, then dish out and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
S+P shrimp has always been a favorite of mine at Chinese Restaurants. Delicious. Two thumbs up
Can we use the “How to Make Shrimp Crispy” method before deep frying? Also, while curing the shrimp you mention to marinate it in the egg white and tapioca mixture, do we rinse that off or do we leave it on?
Yes you can. No rinsing.
It sounds good, but… I’m confused. You leave the shells and heads on the shrimp while frying and stir frying? So then when you eat the shrimp, you’d have to peel the shell off and wouldn’t even taste the batter. What would be the point of putting batter over the shell?
Also, was it a mistake to write that you marinate it in JUST salt and pepper? I’ve only marinated things in liquid before.
Thanks.
The shell is edible. I don’t eat it – so I use peeled shrimp for exactly the reason you gave. :) still delish!
I’ve eaten this at restaurants, and I don’t eat the heads and tails. There’s a way to carefully cut them off and you’ll get the hang of it quickly. You don’t lose all
the batter on the portion that is eaten.
Looks heavenly! Thanks for the recipe, Bee!!