You only need 15 minutes to make hot and fresh Chinese Fried Shrimp! These taste better than take-out for a fraction of the price.
I don’t know if this style of Chinese Fried Shrimp is made at every restaurant. But this is how they’re done in Puerto Rico, and this is my version of them.
In Puerto Rico, in the Chinese restaurants, they make these flat and almost round. They’re called camarones fritos and are one of the best things to order besides some ribs! They also make shrimp in garlic butter.
This is a tribute to good Puerto Rican Chinese takeout food. The best part is that these are surprisingly very easy to make with ingredients that you can buy in any supermarket. This is a good thing because not everyone has a Chinese market nearby.
These fried shrimp are usually served as an appetizer or snack, just like the Puerto Rican tostones with garlic, but they’re great with simple fried rice.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe tastes just like takeout!
- In this recipe, there’s no need for complicated steps.
- You can batch make these!
Recipe Ingredients
- Shrimp- The shrimp you need for this recipe need to be big. I used the colossal size. We need big ones so when we cut it open, we get a lot of surface for the breading. But if you have smaller ones, they’re still good to use.
- Salt & pepper- We only need a little bit of salt and pepper because the other ingredients add a lot of flavor.
- Chicken bouillon- The chicken bouillon might surprise you, but it really helps give the shrimp a very distinct flavor.
- Msg– The msg is the ingredient that gives the recipe that umami, unique taste that Chinese take-out food has.
- Flour, cornstarch & baking powder- The secret to a good fried shrimp is in the batter. We use a mixture of all-purpose flour as the base. Cornstarch which is responsible for the crispiness. Baking powder helps to batter get super fluffy.
- Water- I always use water, but club soda works well as well.
How to Make Chinese Fried Shrimp
- Photo 1: First, we make sure our shrimp are cleaned and deveined. Then we remove any shells. Make 3 vertical cuts on its underbelly. This is so we can remove the curve and flatten them. Then, make a cut on the side to about ⅔ of the shrimp deep. Remember, we need to butterfly the shrimp but not split it in half.
- Photo 2: Then se season the shrimp. We just have to make sure that the shrimp is all seasoned evenly.
- Photo 3: Now we need to dust the shrimp in plain all-purpose flour. This is necessary as it will help the wet batter stick better.
- Photo 4: Make the wet batter, but make sure you use very cold water. The cold water will help the batter get crispier.
- Photo 5: Dip the shrimp in the batter and make sure you cover both sides well. Try to keep the tail clean because this is where we’ll grab the shrimp, once it’s cooked.
- Photo 6: Then add the shrimp to fry in a big pot with oil over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- This is a great recipe to make Chinese fried shrimp, even if you don’t butterfly them. If you don’t want to go through all the trouble, just season and fry the shrimp whole.
- Some people like to add extra batter over the fried shrimp because of how good the batter gets. So add extra batter if you like.
Common Questions
The best way to mask the fishy flavor of shrimp is to use chicken bouillon as a seasoning. Not only would it remove the strong fishy taste, but it would also balance it while adding flavor.
If you don’t have all-purpose flour to bread your shrimp, you can use self-rising flour. This is a great substitute, plus it will help make a nice, crunchy, fluffy batter.
More Chinese Takeout Recipes
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Chinese Fried Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp
- ½ pound colossal size shrimp (228g) peeled & deveined
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon msg
Battter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (30g) for dusting
- ½ cup all purpose flour (68g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (78g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cold water
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Butterfly the shrimp
- First, peel the shrimp. Make sure that you remove only the shell and leave the tails on. Take the shrimp with its underbelly facing up. Make 3 cuts from side to side to a little less than halfway into the shrimp. (Look at the how to steps by steps in the post for visual reference).
- Place the shrimp on the side. With one hand, hold down the shrimp to make sure it doesn't slip while cutting. Now with the tip of the knife, you want to make a split evenly down the middle from the top until you reach the tail. Make sure not to insert the knife all the way. We want to open up the shrimp, not split it in half. Repeat with all the shrimp.
- Now, place the shrimp in a small bowl and add the chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, and msg. Mix until all the shrimp are seasoned. Then take a small plate and add ¼ cup of flour. Lightly dredge each shrimp and shake off any excess flour. Place the shrimp on a plate while you make the batter.
Make the batter
- Mix ½ cup of flour with the corn starch, baking soda, and water in a small bowl. In a large pot, add the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, grab the shrimp by the tail and dip into the batter and remove any excess batter with the edge of your bowl. Place the shrimp in the hot oil. Repeat and add all the shrimp. Fry for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the shrimp from the oil to drain on a plate with paper towels. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- I used super colossal shrimp because the bigger the shrimp, the better. More space to hold batter. But you can use small shrimps if that’s what you have.
- If you want to save these shrimps for later. I suggest you only fry them for 1 minute on each side. Let them completely cool and then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag.
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