Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp with Sizzling Chiles and Garlic

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Crackly almond-flour shrimp tossed in a hot wok with garlic, fresh chiles and a toasted Sichuan peppercorn salt. It eats exactly like the takeout version — shatteringly crisp, numbing-spicy, deeply savory — but the coating is nut flour, so it stays low-carb and high-fat. Fast enough for a weeknight, showy enough for company.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp whole white peppercorns
• 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups avocado oil, for frying

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 Fresno or jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns and white peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until fragrant and just smoking at the edges. Cool 2 minutes, then grind fine in a spice grinder or mortar. Stir in the sea salt and garlic powder and set this salt-and-pepper mix aside.
2. Pat the shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels — surface moisture is the enemy of crispness. Toss them in a bowl with the egg white and 1 teaspoon of the salt-and-pepper mix until evenly slicked.
3. In a shallow dish, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and another 1 teaspoon of the salt-and-pepper mix. Working in batches, lift the shrimp out of the egg white, letting excess drip off, and press each one into the flour mixture on both sides. Set the coated shrimp on a wire rack in a single layer.
4. Heat the avocado oil in a wok or 3-quart saucepan over medium-high until it reaches 350°F on an instant-read thermometer. Fry the shrimp in 3 batches, 6 to 8 pieces at a time, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, turning once, until the coating is golden and set. Almond flour browns fast, so pull them the moment they turn deep gold. Drain on the rack, not paper towels, and let the oil return to 350°F between batches.
5. Carefully pour off the frying oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the wok. Set it over high heat, add the butter, and once it foams add the bell pepper. Stir-fry 1 minute, then add the garlic, ginger, and sliced chiles and toss for 45 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
6. Add the scallions and stir-fry 30 seconds. Drizzle in the soy sauce and sesame oil around the edge of the wok, then return all the fried shrimp to the pan.
7. Sprinkle in the remaining salt-and-pepper mix and toss hard for 30 to 45 seconds, just long enough to coat every shrimp in the aromatics. Serve immediately, straight from the wok.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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