Quick Salt and Pepper Prawns Recipe

Salt and pepper prawns with a spicy dipping sauce served with a soba noodle salad.

Quick Salt and Pepper Prawns Recipe

My Chinese fakeaway version of salt and pepper prawns (or shrimp) comes with a delicious crispy chilli dipping sauce and the unmistakable flavour of Szechuan peppercorns.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo Chinese

Keyword chinese salt and pepper prawns, salt and pepper king prawns, salt and pepper prawns, salt pepper shrimp

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings Servings

Calories 554kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

450 g Prawns 1 lb
50 g Cornflour ⅓ Cup
2 tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt plus extra for serving
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 tablespoon Szechuan Peppercorns
1 Red Chilli Pepper Go as hot or mild as you like
3 Spring Onions
Plus Oil for Frying

For the Dipping Sauce:

3 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
½ tablespoon Rice Vinegar
2 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon Crispy Chilli in Oil I use Lao Gan Ma
1 Garlic Clove

Instructions

If your prawns are frozen, defrost them by running them under cold water
Peel and mash the garlic clove for the dipping sauce and place it in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients for the dipping sauce to a bowl, give it a whisk and set aside.
Dry the prawns on kitchen paper.
Heat a wok over a high heat and then toast the Szechuan peppercorns, then crush them in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
Remove the seeds from the chillies and dice them as finely as you can.
Slice the spring onions at a 45° angle as thinly as you can.
Place the cornflour on a plate and add the ground Szechuan pepper, black pepper, five spice and coarse sea salt and give everything a mix.
Heat 2-2½cm (1") of oil in a wok to 180°C or 350°F and then dip the prawns into the cornflour mix and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Do this in 3 batches; you can keep the prawns warm in a low oven.
When the prawns are cooked, you can either drain all but a scant coating of oil from the wok or heat 1 tablespoon of additional oil in a separate nonstick frying pan. Add the diced chilli and spring onions and fry over a very hot heat for 30-60 seconds.
Throw in the fried prawns and toss to coat before serving, sprinkled with more coarse sea salt.

Video

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