A Classic Example of Jiaoyan Wei, the “Salt-and-Pepper” Flavor Profile

This recipe is part of our series on fùhé wèi (复合味), Sichuan’s 20+ complex flavors. For more details about this flavor combination, along with other recipes that exemplify this profile, visit our new Jiaoyan wei page. (Other fuhe wei combinations can be found through the menu.)

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Among Sichuan’s fuhe wei, jiāoyán wèi (椒盐味), or the pepper-and-salt flavor, is one of the most humble and overlooked. It is built on jiaoyan, a simple seasoning blend of salt and Sichuan pepper, which have been two of the region’s essential seasonings since long before chilies arrived in China.  This seasoning is most often sprinkled over fried foods or served as a dipping seasoning for fried meat, such as ribs and shrimp. Salt-and-pepper shrimp (jiāoyán dàxiā, 椒盐大虾) is one of the classic expressions. The shrimp are battered and deep-fried, then tossed with aromatic vegetables and fresh chilies before being finished with the fragrant, tingly seasoning. 

Outside of Sichuan, if you order salt-and-pepper shrimp you’re probably going to get the Cantonese takeout classic of the same name. The two versions are prepared quite similarly: Whole shrimp are deep-fried and finished with a pepper-and-salt seasoning. The biggest difference is the spice blend itself: The Sichuan version uses Sichuan pepper, while the Cantonese version relies on white pepper and may also include five spice and chili powder. 

My recipe is based on the version in Popular Sichuan Recipes (Dàzhòng Chuāncài,《大众川菜》), where the dish is called Pepper-and-Salt Crispy Shrimp (jiāoyán sūxiā, 椒盐酥虾). The book describes it as “crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and a great drinking snack.” The shell-on shrimp are marinated, coated in an egg-and-starch batter, deep-fried and finished with a sprinkle of jiaoyan seasoning. In my take, I also incorporate garlic and red and green chilis for extra aroma and color—these are common additions that you find in many newer versions of the recipe, including those served in Chengdu restaurants today.

Making a Versatile Seasoning for Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp

The heart of this fuhe wei is the jiaoyan seasoning itself, which is wonderfully versatile. Beyond this shrimp dish, it appears throughout Sichuan cooking: It’s sprinkled over fried skin-on peanuts (huāshēngmǐ, 花生米—the classic companion to congee) and seasons steamed flower rolls (huājuǎn, 花卷), baked flatbread (guōkuī, 锅盔), battered eggplant (qiébǐng, 茄饼) and even cured meats (腊肉, larou). Jiaoyan is so deeply rooted in Sichuan food culture that people once joked that Mandarin spoken with a strong Sichuan accent was called jiaoyan putonghua (椒盐普通话). 

When I make jiaoyan, I keep the blend simple with just Sichuan pepper and salt. In Sichuan, some cooks also add other spices, such as fennel seeds, for a more complex seasoning. (See Taylor’s recipe for salt-and-pepper squid, which includes fennel seeds and sesame seeds.) 

The ratio of salt to pepper in the jiaoyan seasoning is flexible. For this recipe, I use a ratio of 2 parts Sichuan pepper to 1 part salt, by volume, which is easy to measure without a scale. This version is lighter on salt than many Sichuan jiaoyan recipes would suggest, but since the shrimp is already seasoned with salt, both in the marinade and in the coating, adding more to the jiaoyan would be overkill. 

For the best flavor, use high-quality Sichuan pepper, such as tribute pepper from Hanyuan, the region most famous for its red Sichuan pepper. Good peppercorns are dark red, intensely fragrant and contain few or no black seeds. As they toast, you’ll notice their bright citrus aroma and see a bit of their fragrant oils released into the pan. 

I prefer to toast and grind the Sichuan pepper and salt separately. First, I toast the peppercorns, grind them and sift out the coarse husks. Then I toast the salt, to remove any moisture, and grind it until it also reaches a fine texture. Lastly, I mix the two together. (That said, some chefs just skip this step and use un-toasted salt). The peppercorns take longer to grind than the salt, so processing the two ingredients separately helps keep the seasoning evenly textured. If you grind them together, the salt becomes too fine before the pepper is ready.

It’s hard to grind really small amounts of Sichuan pepper and salt, so the recipe I’ve share below makes more jiaoyan than you’ll need to make the shrimp. Store the extra in an airtight container and use it within a couple weeks, as the ground pepper loses its fragrance over time. It’s excellent sprinkled over roasted potatoes or vegetables, fried mushrooms or even French fries.

Choosing and Preparing the Shrimp

The original recipe I based my version on calls for small white shrimp with the heads and shells left on. The shell and head add flavor, and many Chinese diners enjoy eating the shrimp whole. In Germany, where I live, frozen, shell-on, deveined shrimp are easy to find, while head-on shrimp usually require a trip to a fishmonger or an Asian supermarket. 

I tested the recipe with both large black tiger shrimp (size 16/20—meaning 16 to 20 shrimp per pound) and medium white tiger shrimp (21/25). The medium shrimp develop thinner, crispier shells that can be eaten along with the crunchy coating and the meat. Even if you don’t plan to eat the shell itself, I recommend medium to large shell-on shrimp because the shell helps keep the meat juicy during frying and protects it from overcooking.

If your shrimp still have veins down their backs, use kitchen scissors or a small knife to cut along the back of the shell, then lift the vein out with a toothpick.

The shrimp are marinated with Shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper, ginger and scallions to build flavor and reduce the “fishy” odor, a common technique known as qù xīng (去腥) in Chinese cooking. They are then coated in an egg-and-starch batter, known as dàn dòufěn (蛋豆粉), which is also used in many classic Sichuan fried dishes, including Sichuan Pepper-Studded Little Crispy Pork (Xiaosurou, 小酥肉).

For more classic Sichuanese ways of preparing shrimp, check out Taylor’s Dry-Braised Shrimp ft. Crispy Pork (Ganshaoxia, 干烧虾) or try a “dry pot” dish like Xueci’s Sichuan Dry Pot With Chicken Wings and Shrimp (Ganguo Jichi Xia 干锅鸡翅虾) or Taylor’s Mala Dry Pot With Shrimp, Tofu and Pork Belly (Ganguo 干锅/Mala Xiangguo 麻辣香锅).