Small White Shrimp and Chive Salad
小白虾拌韭菜 · pan chinese cuisine
The author grew up by the sea, where seafood appears on the family table every day. Small white shrimp are rich in iodine and high in calcium, with thin, translucent shells and few pigment cells. Chinese chives are traditionally valued for supporting digestion and overall wellness. This healthy, lightly cooked preparation preserves the ingredients' nutrients and makes an attractive cold dish for entertaining guests.
Gus WhitfieldRetired firefighter in Texas, been smoking brisket since before it was cool. Low and slow is the only way. Still burn the rice sometimes, don't judge.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SesameSoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Cold dressing (liang ban) ↗
Toss cooked or raw ingredients with a bold chilled dressing.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Rinse all ingredients and drain well. Cut the Chinese chives into sections. Use scissors to trim off the shrimp antennae and the hard parts of the heads (optional, if you don't mind them).
✅ Done when: The chives are cut into even sections and the shrimp are trimmed, with all ingredients drained of rinse water.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt and a few drops of peanut oil. Add the chives, blanch briefly, and turn off the heat immediately. A short blanch keeps the chives bright and crisp with a slightly sharp bite; a longer blanch softens them and tames the sharpness — choose according to your taste. Shock the blanched chives in cool boiled or filtered water and set aside.
✅ Done when: The chives are just heated through — vivid green and either crisp or softened to your preference — and cooled in fresh water.
Place the small white shrimp in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, cooking them through. Since this dish is eaten shells and all, cook them a little longer to soften the shells, especially if you did not trim the heads. Shock the cooked shrimp in cool boiled or filtered water and set aside.
✅ Done when: The shrimp are cooked through, turned opaque, with shells soft enough to chew.
- 4
Step 4
Put the cooled, well-drained chives and shrimp into a mixing bowl.
✅ Done when: Both the chives and shrimp are fully cooled and drained before combining.
- 5
Step 5
Mash the garlic into a paste.
✅ Done when: The garlic is crushed to a smooth, uniform paste.
- 6
Step 6
To the garlic paste, add light soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, salt, and sesame oil to taste, and stir until well combined.
✅ Done when: The dressing is smooth and evenly blended, with the seasonings fully dissolved.
Pour the garlic dressing over the chives and shrimp and toss until evenly coated.
✅ Done when: Every piece of shrimp and chive is evenly coated with the dressing.
- 8
Step 8
Plate and serve. The shrimp are eaten whole, chewed shells and all, for extra calcium — be sure you bought the right kind of shrimp, as only small white shrimp have shells thin and soft enough to eat this way. Shells of other shrimp varieties are too tough to swallow.
✅ Done when: The salad is arranged on a serving plate and ready to eat.