Today, I want to share some experience of cooking steamed shrimp with garlic at home, hoping to bring you some inspiration and food.
Buy fresh seafood ingredients:
First of all, I will go to the local seafood market or a more reliable seafood store to buy ingredients. Fresh seafood has obvious characteristics in appearance and smell. I will pay attention to the following points when I buy shrimp:
Appearance characteristics:
Fresh shrimp should be bright in color and transparent in shell, with no signs of discoloration, blackening or yellowing. Shrimp shells should be intact, without cracks or damage.
Texture:?
When gently squeezing shrimp meat, it should be elastic, neither too soft nor too hard. Shrimp meat with moderate elasticity is usually a sign of freshness.
Smell:?
Fresh shrimp should have no pungent smell, but the fragrance of the ocean. If the shrimp has an unpleasant smell, it may have gone bad.
Eyes:?
Shrimp eyes should be convex, bright, not concave and not blurred.
Shrimp beard:
Shrimp must be intact and not cut or damaged, which is also one of the signs to judge the freshness of shrimp.
Size:
Choose the size of shrimp according to your own needs. Generally speaking, choose shrimps with uniform size for steaming.
For example, once I went to the seafood market to buy shrimp, I carefully observed the shrimps in different stalls. I selected some shrimps with bright appearance and complete shells, and then gently squeezed them by hand to feel the texture of shrimp meat and ensure a certain elasticity. I also smelled the shrimp to make sure there was no pungent smell. Finally, I asked the stall owner about the fishing time of shrimp and learned about the freshness of shrimp.
Simple cooking methods:
I chose fresh prawns as the main ingredient, because the shrimp meat is fresh and tender, which is suitable for keeping its original flavor with simple cooking methods.
I peeled the shrimp to remove the gut first, and then cut it gently on the shrimp back to make the shrimp meat more palatable.
Then, I evenly sprinkled minced garlic and Jiang Mo on the shrimp, and then sprinkled a little soy sauce and some water to enhance the delicious taste of the shrimp.
Then, I put the prepared shrimp in a steamer and cook it for about 3-5 minutes on high fire, which should not be too long to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
In the steaming process, the shrimp meat gradually becomes tender, and the aroma of garlic and ginger is also integrated into it. I'll turn off the heat when the shrimp turns bright red, the meat is firm and just cooked.
This Cantonese steamed shrimp is not only simple and easy to cook, but also retains the original flavor and nutrition of shrimp meat. Simple cooking methods can make shrimp meat show its delicious characteristics, and also reflect the cooking concept of Cantonese cuisine that emphasizes the original ingredients.
The art of seasoning:
To make steamed shrimp with garlic, we must first understand the characteristics of shrimp. Shrimp meat is fresh and tender, so you don't need too much seasoning to cover up its delicious taste. Therefore, the purpose of seasoning is to enhance the original flavor of shrimp, not to inhibit its umami flavor.
Zhongyan:? When marinating shrimp, a proper amount of salt can remove the fishy smell of shrimp, but not too much to avoid being too salty. I usually marinate 500 grams of shrimp with about 2.5 grams of salt, and then rinse it clean.
The use of cooking wine: cooking wine can remove fishy smell and enhance fragrance, but it should also be in moderation. I will add a little cooking wine when curing shrimp to enhance the flavor of shrimp. About 5 grams of cooking wine is enough.
The essence of garlic: Garlic is the core seasoning of steamed shrimp with garlic. I will chop the minced garlic very finely, and then in the process of frying the minced garlic, I will master the heat until the garlic smells fragrant, but I will avoid burning. Dried or burnt garlic will affect the taste of the whole dish.
The embellishment of green garlic:? The use of green garlic or chopped green onion can enhance the color of the whole dish and increase the layering of the taste. When frying garlic, stir-fry green garlic or chopped green onion slightly to make it smell fragrant, and then pour it on steamed shrimp.
When I first tried to cook steamed shrimp with garlic, I put a little more salt in the seasoning process because of the characteristics of shrimp and my unfamiliarity with seasoning, and the umami taste of shrimp was covered up by salt. So, in the process of trying, I gradually understood the importance and skills of seasoning. After many attempts, I learned to master the amount of salt. I usually add salt 1 ~ 1.5g, and then use cooking wine to remove the fishy smell. Garlic is not cooked or fried, and finally it is decorated with green garlic to make the whole dish taste more perfect.
In the process of traditional steamed shrimp with garlic, seasoning art plays a key role. Through reasonable seasoning, I can give full play to the delicacy of seafood, so as to enjoy authentic delicacies at home. I gradually realized that the art of seasoning is not only the collocation of ingredients, but also the feeling of heart in the cooking process.
With vegetables:
The choice and collocation of vegetables can add layering and nutritional value to seafood dishes. In that cooking, I chose fresh prawns as the main seafood ingredients. In order to match more abundant flavors and colors, I chose green garlic and red pepper as the vegetables.
The fragrance of green garlic and the slight spicy of red pepper echo each other, which not only brings rich layering to shrimp meat, but also increases the visual effect of dishes.
In the process of steaming shrimp with garlic, I spread chopped green garlic and red pepper evenly on the shrimp, and then steamed it in a steamer.
When the steam rises, the smell of garlic and pepper fills the whole kitchen. After cooking, I sprinkled some chopped green onion and coriander to add a lot of color to the dish.
Through this experience, I have a better understanding of the importance of vegetable collocation for Cantonese seafood dishes. Vegetables can not only increase the taste and level of dishes, but also add a lot of color to dishes and enhance the overall visual effect.
When making Cantonese seafood dishes, we should skillfully choose and match vegetables according to the characteristics and taste preferences of the dishes, so that each dish is full of attractive color and fragrance.
Beibei has something to say:
Generally speaking, cooking traditional Cantonese seafood is a delicious adventure.
By purchasing fresh seafood ingredients, adopting simple cooking methods, paying attention to the balance of seasonings, matching vegetables and participating with our families, we can easily make delicious Cantonese seafood at home, enjoy the delicious seafood and cherish the time with our families.
Let's make delicious food with our heart and feel happy with our taste buds.