Chinese Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Air Fryer) 氣炸鍋椒鹽蝦

Name: Chinese Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Air Fryer) 氣炸鍋 椒鹽蝦
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 lbs Wild Blue Shrimp or Tiger Prawns (large size 21/25 per pound); 3 tbsp Corn Starch, Rice Flour or Potato Flour; 5 Garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp Ground White Pepper; 2 tsp Sea Salt; 1/2 Red Bell Peppers, diced; 1/2 Jalapeno Peppers, diced; 2 Shallots, diced; 1 spring Green Spring Onions for garnish; 1/2 bunch Cilantro for garnish; Vegetable Oil or Cooking Spray for air frying

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椒鹽蝦 Chinese Salt and Pepper Shrimp Recipe is an addictive and delicious dish in Cantonese cuisine. Light, airy and non-greasy crispy prawns make this a perfect keto snack in Chinese restaurants. Make this air fryer appetizer at home in just 15 minutes!

CHINESE SALT AND PEPPER PRAWNS AIR FRYER

In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Salt and Pepper Shrimps (Air Fryer)

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In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Salt and Pepper Shrimps (Air Fryer)
What are Salt and Pepper Seasoning?
The Secret Ingredient
Which Shrimps/Prawns To Use?
Ingredients and Substitute
Instructions
What To Serve With Crispy Salt and Pepper Dishes
Other Variations
Chinese Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Air Fryer) 氣炸鍋椒鹽蝦

What are Salt and Pepper Seasoning?

Salt and Pepper mixture (椒鹽) in Chinese recipes is an explosive spice blend commonly used for deep fry crispy dishes.

The main characteristic of Chinese "salt and pepper" is its garlicky, spicy and salty profile.

This seasoning mix is later used to flavour the deep-fried protein.

If you love salt and pepper spices, why not try these Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Tofu! This vegan snack recipe low calorie packed full of plant-based protein!

CHINESE SALT AND PEPPER PRAWNS INGREDIENTS AND PROCESS

The Secret Ingredient

To make a delicious salt and pepper crispy shrimp recipe, you must have this essential ingredient: white pepper.

When it comes to Chinese cooking, Ground white pepper 白胡椒粉 is an underrated workhorse. White pepper has a distinctly bright and intense peppery flavour that heightens and complements salt. It is much different from black peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.

Salt and Pepper 椒鹽 is also much different from Sichuan pepper salt.

Sichuan Pepper salt combines and heats Sichuan peppercorn and salt until aromatic, cooled, and blended for a salty, slow-numbing mala profile.

Black pepper is not a good substitute for white pepper because black pepper changes the flavour composition of a dish. You are better off using Ground Sansho Pepper instead.

Which Shrimps/Prawns To Use?

We like our Wild Blue Shrimp from Organic Ocean because they are the only Fair Trade certified shrimp in the world.

These large sized shrimp are caught using day-boats called pangas and artisanal techniques.

Wild blue shrimp are all natural and chemical free. I especially love that they are headless raw tails that the back of the prawn have been deveined by hand. The shrimp shell has been cut down its length to make them easy to peel making the eating process more enjoyable.

Ingredients and Substitute

Wild Blue Shrimp or Tiger Prawns (large size 21/25 per pound)
Corn Starch, Rice Flour or Potato Flour
Garlic cloves minced
Ground White Pepper
Green Peppers or Red Bell Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers or Red Chili
Shallots or Yellow Onion
Peppers Flakes
Sea Salt
Green Spring Onions for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
Vegetable Oil or Cooking Spray for air frying

CHOPSTICK PICKING UP CHINESE SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP

Instructions

If using frozen shrimp, defrost shrimp overnight in the refrigerator. Wash the shrimp under cold water and pat dry with a kitchen paper towel.

Season shrimp or prawns with ground white pepper and salt.

Prepare salt and pepper mixture by dicing jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers, shallots or onions and mince garlic cloves.

Add diced vegetables and aromatics, salt and ground white pepper to a small bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

Alternatively, if you do not want to hand chop all the simple ingredients, you can also use a good-quality food processor. Here are my picks for the Best Food Processors!

Preheat air fryer to 400°F.

Use air fryer parchment paper and line the bottom of the air fryer basket for easy clean-ups.

In a large bowl, add shrimp and corn starch, rice flour or potato starch and toss until evenly coated.

Place shrimp in the air fryer basket. Spray with cooking spray.

Cook for 7 minutes at 350F. Flipping halfway.

Carefully transfer prawns from the air fryer. Add cooked prawns and salt and pepper mixture to a large bowl. Toss and mix well.

Return the seasoned shrimp to the air fryer and cook at 390F for a further minute or until the crispy prawns are golden brown.

Work in small batches ex. half of the shrimp and repeat the process if you are making a large double batch!

Serve and enjoy!

CHINESE SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP WINE PAIRING

What To Serve With Crispy Salt and Pepper Dishes

Crispy fried shrimp are flavourful garlicky and savoury. It is best to balance out with a bowl of white jasmine steamed rice or stir fried leafy green vegetables.

Other Variations

Now that you know how to make this Salt and Pepper Prawns recipe, you can also give these other popular dishes a try.

The flavours are equally explosive and every bite addictive! These are just a few easy recipes that immediately come to mind as excellent pairings!

Serve this crisp prawn side dish with just a few simple ingredients and excess oil as an upscale seafood appetizer to impress your guests.

Other Easy Recipes With Prawns You'll Love

If you love this addicting spicy recipe, you may also like these easy prawn recipes on our blog. They're a total change of texture and flavour, but they're readers' favourites!

I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.