Shrimp Lovers Unite: Affordable Live Shrimp Dishes in New Taipei — Make Your Own Shrimp Paste Rice Too!

Text & Photos /Kuni

(Lobster garlic shrimp is the usual order here)

Sometimes you just crave live shrimp—juicier and livelier, the better.

Zhonghe Live Shrimp Home on Jing’an Road is my top pick, offering great value. Nowadays, online Thai female live shrimp go for around NT$300 per jin (10–12 pieces), and even pricier ones are available.

At Zhonghe Live Shrimp Home, the same size goes for a starting price of NT$430 per jin when cooked, with seating, air conditioning, and unlimited rice—it’s perfect for a post-work visit. Eating one or two jin alone means no fighting with friends over the food, which is absolutely bliss.

(The simple stall and storefront on Jing’an Road)

(Live shrimp tanks)

(Shrimp fishing)

(About 10–12 shrimp per jin)

What’s on the menu:
Vegetables (NT$100)
Salted Egg Omelet (NT$100)
Garlic Shrimp (NT$480)

(The shop has both electric fans and air conditioning)

(Simple menu)

Don’t expect fine dining here—but the first dish, stir-fried cabbage, was surprisingly well-cooked, and the simple mix of chili and garlic paired perfectly with rice. Before long, the garlic shrimp arrived, still piping hot so I couldn’t peel it with my hands. But the aroma of sizzling garlic releasing that shellfish fragrance was irresistible.

So I went for it—using my mouth instead of my left hand, holding the plump shrimp with chopsticks in my right, biting off the head, then using both teeth to peel off the shell piece by piece. The deep orange-red shrimp paste inside the head was as rich as ever. On a whim, I scooped it out with chopsticks into a bowl, planning to gather enough for a separate shrimp paste rice later.

Today’s shrimp meat was just as fresh and firm, with a satisfying chew. I polished off all 11 shrimp in a jin in one go—and if not for cholesterol concerns, I almost asked for another jin. The pepper shrimp was delicious too.

(Stir-fried cabbage)

(Garlic shrimp)

(Aroma of garlic fills the air)

(Thick, chewy shrimp meat)

(Shrimp paste)

(Salted egg omelet)

The final homemade shrimp paste rice was truly a labor of love, made entirely from one jin of live shrimp. At first, the shrimp heads were too hot, so I set them aside to cool. Once cooled, I used chopsticks to extract the paste from each one, spreading the bright orange-red paste beautifully over white rice. The rice wasn’t perfectly cooked, but it still looked amazing. A bite of shrimp paste rice, a bite of garlicky shellfish aroma—such a relaxing moment, such a break from the day’s stresses.

(All the shrimp paste extracted from one jin of live shrimp)

(Homemade shrimp paste rice—absolutely heavenly!)

Zhonghe Live Shrimp Home
Address: No. 60, Jing’an Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City
Phone: 0933377937
Hours: 17:00 until sold out

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