Description
Spicy and savory, this delicious salt and pepper shrimp goes amazing over a bed of rice for whenever you’re craving Asian food! Totally gluten-free and dairy-free too.
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 red Thai chili peppers
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1-inch piece of ginger
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns, ground
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Marinate Shrimp: Begin by marinating the shrimp in the fish sauce, then set them aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Grind Peppercorns: While the shrimp is marinating, use a mortar and pestle to grind the peppercorns coarsely, ensuring they retain some texture.
- Chop Ginger, Garlic & Red Peppers: Coarsely chop the garlic, ginger, and red chili peppers.
- Coat Shrimp in Flour Mixture: Drain the shrimp from the fish sauce and coat them thoroughly with a mixture of gluten-free all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Ensure each piece of shrimp is evenly coated, then set them aside.
- Fry Shrimp: Heat a layer of oil in a pan, making sure it reaches 350F (175C). Fry the shrimp for approximately 3 minutes (flipping them halfway), or until they turn golden brown. (Tip: Fry the shrimp in smaller batches to ensure they cook evenly and become crispy.) Once all the shrimp are fried, remove them from the oil.
- Sauté Garlic, Ginger, Peppers and Scallions: Discard the excess oil from the pan. Add about 1 tablespoon of fresh oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and ginger. Sauté them until they start to brown (2-3 minutes). Add the chopped red chili peppers to the pan and cook (1-2 minutes). Add the sliced scallions to the pan and cook (2 minutes).
- Toss Shrimp with Sautéed Ingredients: Gently combine the fried shrimp with the sautéed ingredients in the pan, stirring until everything is well incorporated. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Garnish and Serve: Finally, sprinkle the dish with the coarsely ground peppercorns and add coarse salt to taste. Garnish the dish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Notes
Shrimp: Make sure to use large shrimp as the shrimp will shrink in size as it cooks.
Chili Peppers: Depending on how well you can take heat, you can either use more or less Thai chili peppers.
Fish Sauce: Marinating the shrimp in fish sauce adds a beautiful flavor, so make sure not to skip the step in marinating the shrimp.
Gluten-Free Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour which is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch). I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free flour blend that is made up of heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour).
Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to add a crispiness to the shrimp once fried, so make sure to add it in.
Storing: To store, place any leftover salt and pepper shrimp in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to crisp up the shrimp again before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
