Crispy Sweet and Sour Shrimp with Pineapple and Peppers

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Cornstarch-battered shrimp fried until they shatter, then tossed — at the very last second — in a glossy sweet-sour sauce built from ketchup, rice vinegar and canned pineapple juice. The trick is keeping the sauce and the shrimp apart until the plates are literally on the table, so the crust stays crackly instead of turning to paste. Bell peppers, onion and pineapple chunks get a hard, fast sear so they stay snappy.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb large shrimp (21/25), peeled and deveined, tails off
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 large egg white

• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 cups neutral oil, such as peanut or canola, for frying

• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks in juice (juice reserved)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp cold water

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch petals
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 scallions, sliced on the bias
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• steamed jasmine rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels — wet shrimp will never crisp. Toss them in a bowl with the Shaoxing wine, 1/2 tsp salt, white pepper and the egg white until every piece is slick and coated. Refrigerate 15 minutes while you prep everything else.
2. Drain the pineapple through a sieve set over a measuring cup. You want 3/4 cup of juice; top up with water if you're short. Set the chunks aside on paper towels to dry.
3. Build the sauce: in a small saucepan, whisk the reserved 3/4 cup pineapple juice with the ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir the 1 tbsp cornstarch into the 2 tbsp cold water, then whisk it in and cook 30–60 seconds more, until the sauce turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Kill the heat and leave it on the stove — you will reheat it at the last minute.
4. In a wide bowl, whisk the 3/4 cup cornstarch, flour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Working in batches, lift the shrimp out of the marinade and press each one firmly into the dry mix, coating all sides. Set the coated shrimp on a wire rack and let them sit 5 minutes so the coating hydrates and grips.
5. Pour 2 inches of oil into a Dutch oven and heat to 375°F on a probe or deep-fry thermometer. Fry the shrimp in 3 batches, about 8–10 pieces at a time, for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until the coating is pale gold and firm. Don't crowd the pot; let the oil return to 375°F between batches. Drain on a clean wire rack, never on paper towels.
6. When all the shrimp are fried, raise the oil to 400°F and return all of them to the pot for a 45-second second fry. They'll go deep gold and audibly crisp. Drain on the rack and season with a pinch of salt.
7. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the bell peppers and onion and stir-fry hard for 2 minutes — you want blistered edges and a raw snap left in the center. Add the garlic and ginger and toss 30 seconds, then add the drained pineapple chunks and cook 1 minute more.
8. Rewarm the sauce over medium heat until it bubbles, about 1 minute, then pour it over the vegetables and toss to coat. Turn off the heat.
9. Have plates and rice on the table before this step. Add the crisp shrimp to the pan and toss just 3 or 4 times — enough to lacquer them, not enough to soften them. Scatter with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately over jasmine rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem