Boiled Shrimp with Dipping Sauce 【白灼虾】

Shrimp is one of my favorite foods. I love almost every way of cooking shrimp except deep-frying, as it tends to be too dry and loses the shrimp’s natural texture. The simplest and most delicious way to prepare shrimp is by boiling. Whenever I crave shrimp but don’t feel like dealing with complicated recipes or frying, I make boiled shrimp. It’s quick, preserves the shrimp’s bouncy texture and natural sweetness, and takes just 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

• Shrimp (any quantity)
• 1 small red chili (2g)
• 1 clove of garlic (4.2g)
• 2 slices of ginger (3.5g)
• 1 stalk of green onion (5g)
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1.5 tsp soy sauce for steamed fish (optional)
• 1.5 tsp light soy sauce
• 3 tsp water

When I’m in a hurry, I simply wash the shrimp and cook them as-is. If I want a prettier presentation, I trim the shrimp’s whiskers and legs to make them look neat.

What is shrimp dipping sauce made of?

If you don’t have all the listed seasonings, the essentials are light soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and garlic—basic staples for many seafood dishes.

Finely chop the ginger and garlic, then place them in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, light soy sauce, steamed fish soy sauce, and 3 tsp of water. Don’t add the green onion or chili yet.

How to Make Boiled Shrimp

Method 1 (Steaming)

This slightly more elaborate method uses a steamer to preserve the shrimp’s maximum freshness and sweetness.

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Place the shrimp on the steamer tray.
2. Put the dipping sauce ingredients (excluding the green onion and chili) in a small dish and place it in the steamer along with the shrimp.
3. Steam for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp turn completely red. At this point, the shrimp are perfectly cooked and tender.
4. Turn off the heat, add the green onion and chili to the dipping sauce, and let them steam together for a few seconds.
5. Serve the shrimp with the sauce. For easy peeling, just tear the small section of the shell on the shrimp’s back.

Why do I steam the dipping sauce?
Cooked seasonings are less sharp and pungent. Steamed garlic also loses its strong, lingering smell, so it doesn’t leave a heavy garlic odor on your breath.

Method 2 (Boiling)

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until the water comes to a boil again and the shrimp turn completely red.
2. For the sauce, mix the green onion, ginger, garlic, chili, soy sauce, vinegar, steamed fish soy sauce, and water in a bowl. No need to heat or steam the sauce for this method.
3. Serve the boiled shrimp with the dipping sauce.

What do you put in the water when you boil shrimp?

If the shrimp are fresh, you don’t need to add anything. However, if you’re worried about any fishy smell, you can add green onion, ginger, and a splash of cooking wine to the boiling water for an effective deodorizing effect.