Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Cantonese Blanched Prawns
白灼蝦
Recipe overview
Shell-on prawns are briefly cooked in ginger and spring-onion water, then drained and served with a soy dip.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g Fresh medium shell-on prawns
Soup seasoning
- 20 g Sliced ginger
- 20 g Spring-onion lengths
- 2 L Water
- 5 g Salt
Sauce seasoning
- 30 ml Light soy sauce
- 15 ml Hot drinking water
- 2 g Sugar
- 5 ml Sesame oil
02
Tools
- Large pot
- Scissors and toothpick
- Slotted spoon and food thermometer
- Small bowl and plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Check the prawns
Use fresh-smelling prawns with intact shells; keep chilled until preparation and discard any with an off smell.
Step 2
Trim the whiskers
Trim long whiskers and sharp points with scissors, retaining heads and shells.
Step 3
Remove the vein
Lift the intestinal vein through a back shell joint with a toothpick without peeling or splitting the back.
Step 4
Rinse and drain
Briefly rinse prawns in cold water and drain; clean tools and surfaces that touched raw prawns.
Step 5
Prepare aromatics
Slice ginger and cut spring onion into roughly 5 cm lengths beside the pot.
Step 6
Mix the dip
Mix light soy, 15 ml hot drinking water, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl until sugar dissolves.
Step 7
Boil aromatic water
Bring 2 L water, ginger, spring onion and salt to a rolling boil, then boil for 2 minutes.
Step 8
Add the prawns
Lower prawns gently into the pot close to the water surface to avoid splashing boiling water.
Step 9
Cook evenly
Stir gently once and cook about 2–3 minutes after water returns to a gentle boil; adjust for prawn size.
Step 10
Check doneness
Check the largest prawn: its centre should reach 63°C and the flesh should be fully opaque; cook a little longer and recheck if needed.
Step 11
Drain immediately
Lift prawns out with a slotted spoon, drain and remove aromatics; do not leave them soaking in hot water.
Step 12
Serve
Arrange prawns on a plate with the dip separately; peel and eat while warm.
Common mistakes
- A red shell alone does not prove the centre is cooked.
- Mixing very small and large prawns gives uneven cooking.
- Leaving cooked prawns in hot water makes them tough.
- Raw-prawn utensils can contaminate cooked prawns.
Tips
Choose medium prawns of similar size for even cooking. Thaw frozen prawns completely in the refrigerator beforehand; thawing time is additional. Drain before cooking and lift them out promptly to keep the flesh springy.
