This dish uses Szechuan peppercorns which is an aromatic spice used in Szechuan-style dishes. Not surprisingly, my kitchen smelled so good when I was cooking these prawns. I was also surprised that it was not too spicy.
In this dish, the prawns were coated with a cornstarch-salt mixture and then sautéed quickly on high heat with the aromatics until cooked. Overall, it only took 10 minutes to cook the prawns. It was the cleaning and deveining of the prawns that took a long time. In the end, the prawns came out with a crispy and salty shell but remained tender.
Salted Prawns
Ingredients
- 12 medium prawns or large shrimp , shells and heads on (optional)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1/4 cup avocado or vegetable oil
- 5 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 4 green onions , sliced thinly, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns , crushed
Instructions
- Trim tendrils off prawns with scissors. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and remove the vein. Rinse under cold running water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a bowl, mix together cornstarch and salt. Thoroughly coat each prawn with the cornstarch mixture.
- Heat oil in a wok or a large sauté pan over high heat. . Add prawns and sauté until just turning pink, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, green onions and crushed peppercorns. Cook, stirring constantly, until prawns are cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
- Serve, garnished with green onions.
Notes
I really like your idea of cooking the prawns with the shell. I will definitely make this recipe at home and share it with my family and friends. Thank you for sharing such an amazing article with us. I really appreciate the efforts you have taken to post this wonderful article.