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Shrimp is a type of food containing over 20 vitamins and essential minerals beneficial for the body such as antioxidants, prevention of heart diseases, and effective weight loss. Although shrimp contains high levels of protein and cholesterol, it is not harmful to health; on the contrary, it helps boost brain health and cardiovascular health and reduces neutral fat levels.
To achieve crispy, visually appealing, flavorful, fragrant, and especially non-fishy fried shrimp, refer to the article below to discover the secrets of frying shrimp.
1. How to Prepare Fresh Shrimp
- When purchasing shrimp, opt for the freshest ones, preferably live if possible, as they are the tastiest when still lively. Avoid choosing shrimp that are too small or too large; select ones of moderate size so that the seasoning can penetrate and enhance the flavor.
- When preparing shrimp, trim off the whiskers and sharp head to avoid poking the mouth while eating, preventing throat irritation, especially in children.
- Clean the shrimp thoroughly, remove the back vein only to ensure they are cleanest, then sprinkle a little salt over and toss them for 10 minutes to eliminate any fishy odor. You can also add some finely chopped ginger and a little white wine to marinate with the shrimp for extra fragrance.
Proper Shrimp Preparation for Pan-Frying
2. How to Marinate Shrimp for Delicious Pan-Frying
- When marinating and frying shrimp, use only salt for marination; avoid using fish sauce as it will make the shrimp release more water and affect the natural sweetness of the shrimp.
- Prepare dried shallots and scallions for frying shrimp.
- Fry the dried shallots while marinating the shrimp to enhance the fragrance before frying the shrimp to elevate the aroma. Chop the scallions finely and add them lastly while frying the shrimp for better flavor and appearance.
- During the frying process, only toss the shrimp; avoid using chopsticks to prevent the shrimp from becoming soggy and breaking apart when flipping.
Marinate the shrimp
3. Achieving Red Color when Frying Shrimp
- When frying shrimp, use caramelized sugar to give the shrimp a beautiful golden and crispy shell.
- To caramelize sugar, heat a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and heat until hot. While heating, stir evenly to prevent the sugar from clumping and burning. Stir continuously until the sugar turns into a beautiful golden color, then add 2 tablespoons of water and stir until boiling, then turn off the heat.
- During the frying process, when the shrimp turns pink, taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the prepared sugar water to give the shrimp its color. With the addition of sugar water, the shrimp becomes sweeter and crispier.
- Note that since you have used sugar to make the syrup, there is no need to add shrimp to the syrup to avoid overly sweetness and unpleasant taste.
Creating the Reddish-Yellow Color for Shrimp
4. Achieving Dry and Delicious Fried Shrimp
- For delicious fried shrimp, ensure they are dry, with no moisture remaining inside.
- When marinating the shrimp, use only salt. After marinating, put the shrimp in a pot on high heat to release water. Your task is to boil off the water, then remove the shrimp. This method ensures that the shrimp is free from water, becomes dry, not fishy, and retains its delicious texture.
- Next, add chopped onions and cooking oil to the pot, sauté until fragrant, then add the shrimp to fry as usual. Continue stirring the shrimp evenly and cook on high heat to make the shrimp even drier.
- During the frying process, never cover the pot to help the shrimp quickly dry out and prevent it from becoming soggy.
- When starting to fry the shrimp, you need to heat the stove to a high level. Cook until the shrimp starts to dry out, then reduce the heat to low to avoid burning the shrimp, losing its fragrance, and ruining the dish.
Dry-frying shrimp
5. Infusing enticing aroma into fried shrimp
- After frying the shrimp, to enhance its delicious aroma, you should add finely chopped lime leaves to the shrimp. The refreshing scent of lime will mask any fishy odor and make the fried shrimp even more flavorful.
