If you like shrimp, you’re going to want to try this Typhoon Shelter Shrimp recipe. Crispy panko breadcrumbs are tossed in aromatic shrimp oil, along with fried ginger, garlic and chili. This mixture is then tossed with fragrant fried shrimp.
With that description alone, I don’t think I need to tell you how wonderful it smells and tastes!
What is Typhoon Shelter Shrimp?
It is said that Typhoon Shelter Shrimp originated in Hong Kong––Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay to be more specific.
Typhoon season hits Hong Kong from April to June every year. Causeway Bay was the largest typhoon shelter, or bifeng tang (避风塘) in HK back in the days, where merchants, peddlers, fishermen, and their boats converged during storms.
“Typhoon shelter” has since become a style of cooking featuring a signature golden breadcrumb coating, which has been applied to all kinds of ingredients, from seafood and poultry to meats and vegetables like eggplant and mushrooms.
Some of the more popular recipes include Typhoon Shelter Crab, Typhoon Shelter Wings, and of course, this Typhoon Shelter Shrimp.
Recipe Tips Before You Start Cooking
You’ll be shocked as to how easy this recipe is. Just remember two things:
- Don’t over-fry the shrimp, or they will dry out.
- Keep the heat at medium to low when cooking the aromatics and panko, or they may burn.
My final tip: The shrimp oil that you’ll have leftover after making this dish is liquid gold in and of itself. It is extremely fragrant and flavorful, and can be used in dishes like Pad Thai, Hong Kong Style Shrimp Chow Mein, Shrimp Fried Rice, and Shrimp Etouffee.
Don’t waste that oil!
Typhoon Shelter Shrimp Recipe: Instructions
First, trim, de-vein and clean the shrimp as shown:
Shake off any excess water and pat them dry thoroughly with a paper towel.
Add the shrimp to a bowl and toss with ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder and 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine. Set aside for 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Mince the ginger and garlic. Chop scallions and chilies. Measure out your panko breadcrumbs.
Heat 1 cup of oil in a wok to 300 degrees F. While the oil is heating, pat the shrimp again with a paper towel to ensure they’re dry. Any moisture will cause the hot oil to splatter.
When the oil is at temperature, fry the shrimp in two separate batches (this prevents the temperature of oil from dropping too much), for about 15 seconds per batch.
Scoop them out and set aside.
Reheat the oil to ensure it’s back up to 300 degrees F. Re-fry each batch a second time, 5-10 seconds per batch.
Remove the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
Turn off the heat, and carefully scoop out some of the oil into a heatproof container, leaving about 1/3 cup oil in the wok. (You can use less oil, but you also need to reduce the panko accordingly.)
As you can see, the oil has changed color. It is incredibly flavorful, so save it for another recipe!
With the heat on medium low, add the ginger to the oil and cook for 30 seconds.
Then add the garlic…
And the chilies…
Fry for another 30 seconds before stirring in the panko.
Add in the shrimp, salt, sugar, the remaining ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, and 1/8 teaspoon five spice powder (if using). Also add the scallions.
Lightly toss everything together (still using medium low heat), and serve hot.
Typhoon Shelter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound large whole, head-on shrimp (450g)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder (plus another ¼ teaspoon, divided)
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (divided)
- 3 - 4 slices ginger (minced, about 10g)
- 7 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- 3 red chilies (chopped)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (70g)
- 1 cup vegetable oil (or peanut oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon five spice powder (optional)
Instructions
- Trim, de-vein and clean the shrimp as shown in the step-by-step photos. Shake off any excess water and pat them dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Add the shrimp to a bowl and toss with ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder and 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine. Set aside for 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Mince the ginger and garlic. Chop scallions and chilies. Measure out your panko breadcrumbs.
- Heat 1 cup of oil in a wok to 300 degrees F. While the oil is heating, pat the shrimp again with a paper towel to ensure they’re dry. Any moisture will cause the hot oil to splatter.
- When the oil is at temperature, fry the shrimp in two separate batches (this prevents the temperature of oil from dropping too much), for about 15 seconds per batch. Scoop them out and set aside.
- Reheat the oil to ensure it’s back up to 300 degrees F. Re-fry each batch a second time, 5-10 seconds per batch. Remove the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
- Turn off the heat, and carefully scoop out some of the oil into a heatproof container, leaving about 1/3 cup oil in the wok. (You can use less oil, but you also need to reduce the panko accordingly.)
- With the heat on medium low, add the ginger to the oil and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the garlic and chilies, and fry for another 30 seconds before stirring in the panko.
- Add in the shrimp, salt, sugar, the remaining ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, and 1/8 teaspoon five spice powder (if using). Also add the scallions.
- Lightly toss everything together (still using medium low heat), and serve hot.
nutrition facts
Hi,
Can we use fresh coconut instead of breadcrumbs ?
Regards,
PK
Yes, you should be able to.
What does frying it twice do?
Hi Kim, a double-fry makes the shrimp nice and crispy when served!
Can you leave out white pepper? I don’t have any.
You can use black pepper in a pinch.
Just a quick question – The recipe calls for whole shrimp with heads, but the first step is peeling and deveining. The finished dish appears to be shell on shrimp. Which is it? Shelled & deveined or whole with heads? Thanks.
Hi Heather, it says trim and devein.
BWAHAHAHA. I think this will become known in TWOL legend as the Great Shrimp Head/Shell Debate of 2019. It kind of reminds me of my mid 20’s when in New Orleans I was served NO style BBQ shrimp, complete with heads on. I looked at it and thought, what is this? Wow, they’re ugly! I proceeded to pinch their heads off and make them dance, puppet-style, around my bowl and talk to each other. My husband was mortified. What the heck, I was still really a kid.
Thanks to all, especially Judy, for your helpful and insightful comments on this.
I’m going to wait until I find some whole shrimp, which I luck into occasionally, and then I’m going full monty on this. Can’t wait.
I love the “full monty” comment. I burst out laughing, LOL ^_^
One quick comment on the shell debate: The photos show Southeast Asian Tiger Prawns. These have a pretty daunting head sword. These days, I commonly see these come cleaned of all legs, and the head clipped just behind the eyes before cooking. It is perfectly fine to eat these with your hands, holding onto the tails which are discarded when finished. Some people have great skill at spitting out most of the shell. How they do this I’ll never know.
I eat and peel as I go. No one cares. Just enjoy!
Tomm, thank you very much for that tip. When I do find some whole shrimp I think I’ll trim them that way but add the trimmed parts to the fry for the additional flavor.
Right…eat however you like, no one cares!
Hong Kong Typhoon Season is from April to early November.
Peak Season is May-September.
As a HK resident for decades, I have seen them all.
Hi Tomm, I worked with many businesses in HK back in the day, and I know they always joked that it was a day for Majiang. I never sensed that they were worried about typhoon season!
For those who normally do not or afraid to eat the shell and head, you can suck off the crumbs, then proceed to peel the shrimp!
Thank you, Nancy, for making it clear :-)
Just re-read my comment. So embarrassed. That should have said two of my favorite dishes . Sorry. 😌
Hi Bill and family. Was thrilled to receive my Woks of Life Top 25 Recipes E-Book! Super great recipes in this!
I have a favorite Cantonese restaurant that I have been going to since childhood (I’m in my 50’s now). They are still going strong!! To of my favorites from this place are Wor Sue Gai and a dish called Sai Woo Duck. Roast duck, diced pork vegetables in a delicious sauce. So wonderful!! I don’t see anything resembling either in any of your recipes. Can you help??
Thanks,
Kelli Umbstaetter
Hi Kelli, the two dishes you mentioned were on Bill’s parents’ Chinese restaurant menu back in the day, so we know. I know Bill will get to them one day :-)