Sichuan Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Blistered Chiles

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Shatteringly crisp shrimp tossed in a toasted Sichuan peppercorn salt with garlic, ginger, scallions and blistered fresh chiles. An almond-and-coconut-flour crust does the work of cornstarch, and a bowl of buttery sesame cauliflower rice soaks up all the fragrant oil — takeout heat and crunch, zero grains.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder

• 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 1/2 cup avocado oil, for frying

• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 red Fresno chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 20 oz riced cauliflower
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant and just smoking. Cool for 2 minutes, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Stir together with the sea salt, white pepper and five spice. Set aside.
2. Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels — this is the single biggest factor in crispness. Toss them in a bowl with the Shaoxing wine and 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper mix, then add the egg white and stir until every shrimp is lightly coated.
3. In a shallow dish, whisk the almond flour and coconut flour with another 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper mix. Lift the shrimp from the egg white a few at a time, press them into the flour mixture on both sides, and set on a wire rack in a single layer.
4. Heat the avocado oil in a wok or deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high until it reads 375°F on a thermometer. Fry the shrimp in 3 batches, 60 to 90 seconds per side, until the crust is dry, pale gold and crisp; the shrimp should be just opaque. Drain on the wire rack and let the oil return to 375°F between batches.
5. While the oil heats, make the cauliflower rice: melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the riced cauliflower and the kosher salt, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water has cooked off and the edges are lightly browned. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame seeds, then cover and keep warm off the heat.
6. Carefully pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the frying oil from the wok and return it to high heat. Add the Fresno chiles and jalapeño and stir-fry 45 seconds until blistered at the edges, then add the garlic and ginger and stir constantly for 30 seconds, just until fragrant — do not let the garlic brown.
7. Add the scallions and the fried shrimp back to the wok along with the remaining salt and pepper mix. Toss hard over high heat for 45 to 60 seconds so the seasoning clings to the crust. Drizzle with the sesame oil, toss once more, and serve immediately over the sesame cauliflower rice.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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