Salt and Pepper Shrimp

It's Lent again and we abstain from eating meat on Fridays.

The easiest non-meat food that I know how to cook (sort of) is shrimp since we buy the frozen ez-peel shrimp type which have already been de-veined and
beheaded.

Now, I only have 2 shrimp dishes in my arsenal - shrimp alfredo pasta & shrimp tempura.

Tonight, I decided to make an extra effort in expanding our weekly menu and decided to try for Chinese-Style Salt & Pepper shrimp, di naman pala mahirap.

I found a few recipes with different variations, I chose what seemed to be the easiest recipe (from ChineseFood.about.com) and I chose it mainly because it was stir-fry and did not call for deep frying.

This is what we prepped:

1/2 pound large shrimp
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (too much for our taste! Will use less next time)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for stir-frying
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped green onion
chili pepper (did not use)

Soak the shrimp in warm, lightly salted water for 5 minutes. --> I skipped this part because I used medium-sized shrimp and I didn't think that it needed more than the outer coating. It turned out okay in terms of saltiness. 

Rinse in cold water, drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Lightly coat the shrimp with the cornstarch.

In a small bowl, mix the salt with the freshly ground pepper and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons in a preheated pan on medium high to high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and stir-fry until they turn pink. Remove from pan.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic, chili pepper (optional) and the salt and pepper mixture. Stir-fry until fragrant (10 - 15 seconds) and then add the shrimp back into the pan. Stir-fry to coat the shrimp in the salt and pepper mixture. Stir in the green onion or serve as a garnish with the shrimp.

Next time, I will slice up some onions and add them to this dish.