Salt and pepper shrimp!

One of my favorite things to eat. Head, shell, and tail. A good Chinese seafood restaurant will have a live tank with shrimp, they’re pretty small since the shell will be more delicate and it’s easier to eat everything. The ones I get from the store near me are from the Gulf of Mexico. They’re a little bit bigger than the ones that restaurants serve. Not a problem for me, I just want some shrimp!

The first thing you want to do is take a pair of kitchen shears and trim the antennae, rostrum (the pointy part on the head, be careful not to stick yourself), and the eyes if they make you queasy…

Then just dust the shrimp with some flour (rice, all-purpose, either will do), salt, and pepper. Be liberal with the pepper. You can use a zip-loc bag or a plastic container and tumble the shrimp with the seasonings.

Then fry the shrimp in some oil, something neutral like vegetable or peanut oil until the outside turns pink. This and the carry over heat is enough to cook the shrimp all the way through.

You can serve them as is with rice or if you’re a little more adventurous, you can make a quick aromatic stir fry (garlic, chives, green onion, diced onions, chili peppers, whatever you have on hand) and toss the shrimp in it to get the oniony, garlicy, spicy aromatics on the shrimp.

I had some garlic, chives, and onions on hand so I quickly sauteed them and topped the shrimp.

Some people will peel the shrimp or take off the heads but that ruins all the fun of eating the shell and crunchy heads.