Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Recipe from: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Woks of Life

For the shrimp:

1 pound large shrimp, shell-on and deveined, with or without heads

For the shrimp brine:

½ liter (about 2 cups) very cold water

12½ grams kosher salt

10 grams baking soda

Make the brine by combining the water, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Stir the mixture until the salt and baking soda have completely dissolved. Add the shrimp, stir the mixture and place in the refrigerator. Let the shrimp brine for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

For the dry-roasted salt and pepper blend:

6 tablespoons white peppercorns

4 teaspoons green or red Sichuan peppercorns (optional)

¼ cup kosher salt

Heat all ingredients in a dry wok over medium heat, tossing and stirring frequently, until very toasty and fragrant, about 7 to 10 minutes. This may create some smoke in your kitchen so make sure it’s well ventilated. Transfer the mixture to a large plate or tray and let cool completely. Use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to grind the mixture into a powder. Let cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

For the stir-fry:

3 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch

⅓ cup neutral oil, like peanut or grapeseed (reserve 2 tablespoons of the oil for stir frying)

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2-3 long, thin spicy chilies (like a serrano or red jalapeno) thinly sliced, depending on how spicy you want the dish to be

salt and pepper mixture, to taste (we used about 1½ teaspoons total)

Once the shrimp have brined, rinse them and thoroughly dry them using paper towels. Dredge the shrimp in the potato starch or cornstarch, making sure to evenly coat them.

Heat the oil in a frying pan to 350˚F. Fry the shrimp in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook the shrimp for about 30 seconds on each side then transfer to a pan and season to taste with the salt and pepper mixture.

In the wok, heat the reserved 2 tablespoons oil. Fry the garlic until just golden brown and set aside to drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Remove and discard all but one tablespoon of oil from the wok. Add the peppers to the wok. Shut off the heat, add the garlic back into the wok, stir-frying everything together for a minute. Add the shrimp to the wok, and gently toss everything together, sprinkling over a bit more of the salt and pepper mixture to season.