The market · Fish and seafood · Southeast Asia, East Asia

Dried shrimp

Tiny shrimp, salted and sun-dried — intensely savoury and sweet; a seasoning more than a protein.

savoury · briny · funky

What to do with it

Kenji Hara's Sourdough, 100% ryeDried shrimp would give it depthIbu Sari's Beef rendangDried shrimp would give it depthAna Etxarri's ChawanmushiDried shrimp would season itRosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleDried shrimp would give it depth
Classics built on it
MalaysianCurry laksaNoodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, with tofu puffs, prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and a spoonful of sambal.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangDazhu gansiPressed tofu shaved into hair-fine threads, simmered in a rich chicken stock with shreds of ham, chicken, bamboo shoot and prawns.No one here has made it yetShanghaineseScallion oil noodlesThin wheat noodles tossed in oil in which spring onions have been fried slowly until dark and crisp, with dark soy and sugar.No one here has made it yetFujianBak changA pyramid of soy-darkened sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves round braised pork belly, mushroom, chestnut and salted egg yolk.No one here has made it yetBrazilianAcarajéBlack-eyed pea fritters fried in dendê, split open and filled with vatapá, dried shrimp, salad and hot pepper sauce.No one here has made it yetBrazilianVatapáA thick, creamy paste of bread, dried shrimp, peanuts and cashews cooked with coconut milk, dendê and ginger.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Large
Soaked and chopped for stir-fries, fillings and XO sauce.
Small
Pounded into som tam, sambal and nam prik.

If you can't find it

Asian grocers, in the dried goods — chilled once opened.

  1. 1Shrimp paste
    Much less — a small piece, toasted
    You lose the chewy, sweet texture.

Goes with

chillilimegarlicgreen papaya

Knowing it

Where to buy
Southeast Asian and Chinese grocers. Look for pinky-orange, not grey, and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
Worth knowing
Soak in warm water for 10–15 minutes before chopping or pounding, and keep the water for the dish.

Kitchens that keep it in

Jiangsu province and the lower Yangtze, eastern ChinaHuaiyangDelicate and exact: fine knife work, clear stocks and a gentle sweetness, cooked to bring out an ingredient's own flavour rather than to cover it.7 classicsShanghai, on the Yangtze delta, eastern ChinaShanghaineseSweet, dark and glossy: a port city's home cooking, red-braised in soy, sugar and Shaoxing wine, with soup dumplings, cold 'drunken' dishes and hairy crab in autumn.7 classicsFujian province, south-eastern ChinaFujianThe cooking of China's south-eastern coast: clear soups, seafood, the sweet-sour red of fermented rice lees, and the street food the Hokkien carried across Asia.9 classicsBrazil — the eastern half of South America, from the Amazon to the southern pampasBrazilianBlack beans and rice every day, cassava in a dozen forms, fish stewed in palm oil and coconut, and meat roasted over coals on long skewers.10 classics

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