Easy and delicious Salt and Pepper Shrimp. Crispy, succulent shrimp tossed with a simple salt and pepper seasoning that’s great for lunch or dinner!
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Easy Shrimp Recipes For Dinner
I’m sure many of you are fans of salt and pepper shrimp (including yours truly!). And what’s not to love? It’s a dish that brings together the crispy goodness of shrimp with the classic flavors of salt and pepper.
So if it’s a favorite order of yours from Chinese restaurants, you’re in for a treat. You can easily recreate this Chinese takeout dish from the comforts of your home with this simple recipe. And it takes only 25 minutes!
Crispy Salt And Pepper Shrimp
The shrimp is dredged in seasoned flour (containing salt and pepper) before it’s fried until it turns golden and crispy. It’s then added to sautéed onions and garlic, before tossed with more salt and pepper, sugar, and sliced jalapenos.
There are two things that I do to ensure the crispiness of the shrimp:
- Use potato starch in the seasoned flour coating. The potato starch helps in preventing your shrimp from becoming soggy. Alternatively, you can use corn starch.
- Double fry your shrimp. Once I started using the double fry method from Korean fried chickens, I can never go back. But a word of caution: make sure to not overcook the shrimp.
What To Serve With Crispy Salt And Pepper Shrimp
You can enjoy it on it’s own as an appetizer (and I believe it can be polished in a jiffy). But you can also have it as a side with white rice or noodles. Here are some other options:
- Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
- Easy Chow Mein (10 Minutes)
- Bihun Goreng (Stir-Fried Rice Noodles) – Vegan
- Chicken Mei Fun (Bihun Goreng)
- Beef Chow Fun (30 minutes)
Ingredients You’ll Need
(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)
- Shrimp
- Small onion
- Garlic
- Medium jalapeno
Seasoned flour
- Potato starch
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika (optional)
- Salt
- Pepper
Seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sugar
how to make easy crispy salt and pepper shrimp
- Clean and devein the shrimp and pat dry. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the seasoning and set aside for later.
- In a bowl, mix the flour with the seasonings. Add the shrimp to the seasoned flour and make sure to coat it well. Shake off excess before the next step.
- Heat up oil over medium heat in a pan and once it’s hot enough, add the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Make sure to cook the shrimp in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Optional step: double fry to make the shrimp extra crispy but don’t overcook it.
- In a clean pan or wok over medium heat, add a bit of oil. Once hot enough, add sliced onions and sauté until translucent then add garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add shrimp to the pan/wok and then the seasoning all over. Mix or toss well until everything is evenly coated and then add the sliced jalapeno. Serve while its hot. Enjoy!
notes and Tips for easy salt and pepper shrimp
- Skin on shrimp: I prefer leaving the skin and sometimes the head on for the shrimp but it’s up to your preference. If you are leaving it on, fry it well so it becomes crispy and easy to eat.
- Potato starch substitute: I like using potato starch for this but you can also substitute with corn starch.
- Adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Sugar: Adding sugar will not make this dish sweet but instead, it rounds out the flavor to enhance the flavor of this dish.
More Chinese Recipes
- Pan Fried Chinese Lemon Chicken (20 Minutes)
- Kailan (Chinese Broccoli) With Easy Sauce
- Hot And Sour Dumpling Noodle Soup
- Garlic Bok Choy (15 minutes)
- Honey Walnut Shrimp
Easy Salt and Pepper Shrimp Recipe Video
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Easy Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp
- 1/2 small onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 medium jalapeno sliced
Seasoned flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Seasoning
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Clean and devein the shrimp and pat dry. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the seasoning and set aside for later.
- In a bowl, mix the flour with the seasonings. Add the shrimp to the seasoned flour and make sure to coat it well. Shake off excess before the next step.
- Heat up oil over medium heat in a pan and once it's hot enough, add the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Make sure to cook the shrimp in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. Optional step: double fry to make the shrimp extra crispy but don't overcook it.
- In a clean pan or wok over medium heat, add a bit of oil. Once hot enough, add sliced onions and sauté until translucent then add garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add shrimp to the pan/wok and then the seasoning all over. Mix or toss well until everything is evenly coated and then add the sliced jalapeno. Serve while its hot. Enjoy!
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