Ginger-Salt Spotted Prawns

Ginger-Salt Spotted Prawns

　　　　Ginger-Salt Spotted Prawns is a specialty flavor dish from Hainan. The spotted prawns are a local seafood delicacy in Hainan, named for their resemblance to the shape of a pipa (Chinese lute). They are commonly found along the coasts of Lingshui and Wanning. Ginger-Salt Spotted Prawns are vibrant in color, visually appealing, with tender and smooth shrimp meat that tastes delicious.

　　Ingredients:

　　500g fresh spotted prawns, 10g bird’s eye chili, 1 kg peanut oil (actual usage 75g), 25g ginger, 5g tapioca starch, 3g pepper, 25g green onion, 5g refined salt, 6g monosodium glutamate, 80g clear broth.

　　How to Make Ginger-Salt Spotted Prawns:

　　First, clean the prawns and blanch them in boiling water until they turn red, then remove them. Separate the heads and tails, make a vertical cut along the back of the prawn to remove the shell, clean the sand vein from the meat, and cut the flesh into short pieces. Marinate them with light soy sauce and tapioca starch and set aside. Wash the bird’s eye chili, ginger, and green onion, and dice them separately. Then heat the pan over high heat, add the peanut oil and heat to 60–70% temperature, deep-fry the prawn heads, tails, and meat until 70% cooked, then remove. Turn the heat back up, add the bird’s eye chili and ginger to sauté until fragrant, pour in the clear broth and bring to a boil. Add the prawn heads, tails, meat, refined salt, monosodium glutamate, pepper, and green onion, stir well. When the sauce is almost dry, drizzle in some hot oil. For plating, arrange the prawn heads, tails, and meat symmetrically to resemble a whole prawn shape. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry to create a glossy finish, pour over the dish, and serve.