Oil-Blast Shrimp
Shrimp flash-fried in hot oil until the shells turn crisp and red, in a lightly sweet, savoury glaze.
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Oil-Braised Shrimp
Head-on shrimp seared until the shells blush red, then braised three minutes in a tomato, sugar and vinegar glaze until the sauce clings — Shandong's celebratory red-cooked shrimp. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 油焖大虾, report 92.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 油焖大虾_92.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 20 minutesServings: 2Difficulty: EasyRegion: ShandongFlavour: Sweet-sour tomato glaze
Why this works
The dish works because the shrimp are cooked twice for different reasons: a one-minute sear at 180 °C reddens the shells and firms the flesh, and a three-minute covered braise then lets the sweet-sour sauce soak in without overcooking them. Tomato paste fried in the residual oil until it releases its red oil is what gives the glaze its colour and depth — raw tomato paste tastes flat and tinny, fried paste tastes rich. Sugar and vinegar at 2:1 is the fixed ratio: sweeter and the dish cloys, sharper and it stings. The final twenty-second high-heat reduction with water starch is the whole finish — it turns a braising liquid into a coating, and the spoonful of bright oil at the end is what makes the shrimp shine on the plate instead of looking matte and dry. Served with plain steamed rice, the shrimp need nothing else: the glaze is rich enough to season the rice it touches.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large shrimp, head on | 7 oz | 200 g | Butterflied, deveined, whiskers and rostrum trimmed. |
| Tomato paste | 2 tbsp | 30 g | — |
| Sugar | 4 tsp | 20 g | Sugar to vinegar 2:1, per the report. |
| Fragrant vinegar | 2 tsp | 10 g | Chinkiang black vinegar. |
| Cooking wine | 2 tsp | 10 g | Half for marinating, half for the sauce. |
| Salt | ¼ tsp | 2 g | 1 g for marinating, the rest for the sauce. |
| Scallion segments and ginger slices | 0.35 oz | 10 g | — |
| Corn starch, for thickening | 1 tsp | 5 g | Mixed with 10 g water. |
| Stock or water | 3½ tbsp | 50 g | — |
| Neutral oil | 2 tbsp | 30 g | Plus 5 g bright oil to finish. |
| Scallion, chopped, to garnish | To taste | To taste | — |
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet with a lid
- Small bowl for the water starch
Steps
- Prepare the shrimp. Butterfly each shrimp along the back to two-thirds of the flesh depth, remove the vein, trim the whiskers and rostrum, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 g salt and 5 g cooking wine and marinate 5 minutes. Cut the scallion into segments and the ginger into slices; mix the starch with 10 g water.
- Sear the shrimp. Heat 30 g oil on high heat to about 180 °C. Add the shrimp and stir-fry on medium heat for 1 minute until the shells turn red and the bodies curl. Remove and set aside.
- Build the glaze and braise. Leave the oil in the pan and fry the scallion and ginger for about 15 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and fry on low heat for about 30 seconds until it releases its red oil. Add the sugar, vinegar, remaining cooking wine, remaining salt and stock, stir and bring to a boil. Return the shrimp, cover, and braise on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Reduce and shine. Uncover, turn to high heat, pour in the water starch and toss quickly for about 20 seconds until the sauce thickens and wraps each shrimp. Turn off the heat, drizzle 5 g bright oil over the top for shine, plate and scatter chopped scallion.
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Technique: sear for colour, braise for flavour, reduce for shine
The butterfly cut matters twice: it lets the sauce into the flesh during the short braise, and it makes the shrimp curl evenly instead of twisting. Do not extend the braise to 'get more flavour' — shrimp go rubbery fast, and three minutes is already the maximum. If the sauce looks thin after the starch, it needed a hotter pan, not more starch; if it looks gluey, the starch went in before the pan was hot enough to set it.
Variations
- Peeled version: use peeled shrimp and cut the braise to 2 minutes (adaptation).
- Spicier: add a dried chilli with the scallion and ginger (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Why butterfly the shrimp?
So the sauce penetrates and the shrimp cook evenly; a whole shrimp stays bland inside and curls unevenly.
Why did my shrimp go tough?
Almost always a braise longer than three minutes, or a sear longer than one minute. Both stages are short by design.
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Yes — thaw fully and pat very dry first, or the sear will steam instead of reddening the shells (adaptation).
Storage and freezing
Best eaten fresh; shrimp toughen on reheating. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat very gently until just steaming hot. Do not freeze the finished dish.
Oil-Braised Shrimp — Recipe Card
Head-on shrimp braised in a sweet-sour tomato glaze until glossy.
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 20 minutesServings: 2
Ingredients: 200 g large shrimp; 30 g tomato paste; 20 g sugar; 10 g vinegar; 10 g cooking wine; 2 g salt; 10 g scallion and ginger; 5 g starch + 10 g water; 50 g stock; 30 g oil + 5 g bright oil.
Steps: 1) Butterfly, devein, marinate 5 minutes. 2) Sear at 180 °C for 1 minute. 3) Fry tomato paste to red oil, add sauce, braise covered 3 minutes. 4) Reduce with starch 20 seconds, finish with bright oil.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 油焖大虾 (data/reports/92.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Original poster image: clouchef.com (油焖大虾_92.jpeg).