Quick & Easy Salt and Pepper Shrimp

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Succulent, crispy shrimp packed with salt and pepper flavors with a spicy kick. This quick and easy salt and pepper shrimp is ready in 20 minutes with minimal ingredients. A great main dish that is restaurant quality!

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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Salt and pepper shrimp features seasoned shrimp that is coated in cornstarch and then stir fried with fresh ginger, garlic, red chili, green onions and Shaoxing wine!

It's best served for dinner or lunch with steamed rice and vegetables. It's a popular Chinese food served at many Chinese restaurants or for takeaway.

The best part about this seafood dish is it's made with simple pantry ingredients. It's also easily made in one-pan so cooking and cleanup is easy.

It's perfect for busy weeknight meals when you want a fast dish on the dinner table to feed yourself or the family.

If you're not a fan of shrimp, check out my Salt and pepper fish, or Salt and pepper chicken or salt and pepper pork.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Jumbo Shrimp: or any large frozen or fresh shrimp. Get the easy-peel deveined kind to make things easier! If they're not deveined, devein them by running a knife along the back and using a toothpick to remove the black vein, which is filled with dirt.
Fresh Garlic
Large Red Chili: if you prefer this less spicy, de-seed the chilis or substitute with red bell pepper for not spicy. For a very spicy version, substitute with bird's eye chili.
Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.
Fresh Ginger: or substitute with ¼ teaspoon ginger powder.
White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
Green Onion: or substitute with ½ small shallot finely chopped.
Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.

For the Shrimp

Shaoxing wine: or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.
Black Pepper
Salt
Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch to coat the shrimp to make it crispy.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Expert Tips

Purchase jumbo sized shrimp that has already been deveined and peeled. This will cut down the prep time.
For best taste, get black tiger shrimp as they're succulent and full of flavor and color.
Prepare ingredients in advance before cooking because the cooking process is fast.
Season the shrimp in black pepper, salt and shaoxing wine first before coating in cornstarch. This allows for an even distribution of the seasoning.
Make sure each piece of shrimp is well coated in cornstarch. This gives it a crispier texture.
Do not over cook the shrimp! Once it begins to curl, swiftly add in the rest of the ingredients and once incorporated, remove the pan off the heat.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make salt and pepper shrimp:

First in a large mixing bowl, combine shrimp with salt, black pepper and shaoxing wine.

First in a large mixing bowl, season the shrimp with salt, black pepper and shaoxing wine.

Then add cornstarch to seasoned shrimp and mix until each piece of shrimp is well coated.

Then add cornstarch to seasoned shrimp and mix until each piece of shrimp is well coated.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry shrimp on both sides until mostly pink and crispy, flipping over half way, about 2-3 minutes in total.

Next heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry shrimp on both sides until mostly pink and crispy, flipping over half way, about 2-3 minutes in total.

Quickly add in garlic, red chili, ginger, green onion, sugar and shaoxing wine as the last ingredient. Stir fry everything together until the wine has evaporated. Finally remove off heat. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Quickly add in garlic, red chili, ginger, green onion, sugar and shaoxing wine as the last ingredient. Stir fry everything together until the wine has evaporated. Finally remove off heat. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Storage

Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Freezer friendly? Salt and pepper shrimp can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: let the shrimp cool down completely and then store into a freezer-safe bag squeezing out excess air before sealing it. To reheat from frozen: thaw it overnight in the fridge and microwave for a few minutes or reheat in a pan on medium heat until hot.

Pairing Suggestions

Salt and pepper shrimp serves well with:

starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
protein dishes like Lemon Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!

FAQ

Can I make this in advance?

Salt and pepper shrimp can be made up to 4 days advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for a few minutes or reheat in a pan on medium heat until hot through out.

Do you eat the shells on salt and pepper shrimp?

For this recipe, you can cook it without the shell it to make it easier to eat. But if you enjoy eating shrimp with the shell on, you may keep it on. The shells also offer extra flavour.

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