Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Dried shrimp


Kikujiro

Recommended Posts

I have a packet of dried shrimp from Malaysia. I was intending to use them in a salad with the other half of my green papaya. As far as I can see this doesn't usually involve any cooking, but the pack says on the back 'to be cooked or fried before use'. Is this true? If so, are these a different kind of dried shrimp to the ones used in Thai cooking? Or is it a cover-your-ass addition?

Also, how can I store them once the pack's opened, and how long will they last? (best before on the unopened is 12-2004)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love dried shrimp and use them often in salads, stir-fries, rice dishes etc.

I usually buy Chinese ones and have never noticed instructions like that before.

Just last month I was making shumai and a sticky rice dish at a Malaysian friend's house and she pulled out these huge dried shrimp she had brought back from Malaysia and in addition to adding them to the rice we also muched on them straight from the back.

They were by far the best dried shrimp I had ever tasted.

I wonder why your bag would say that,

maybe there are different types....................?

Sorry to be of no help! :biggrin:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely in the fridge. And they certainly have a finite shelf life, although it is months. Probably the date on the packet is about right, but you will notice that, after a certain time, when you get them out of the fridge they appear particularly dried up, desiccated and miserable. Time to chuck out and buy some more. On the cooking thing, I don't really know.

v

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as keeping after opening, I think it would depend on the humidity of your house. If it's relatively low in humidity, they would probably keep fine in a ziploc in the cupboard. I once dried some Maine shrimp (after brining) and had no trouble keeping them for months.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are frequently used and tossed with Thai Green Papaya salad and other Thai Yums. Just mixing them about in the salad and letting it sit a few minutes with some acid (like a lime juice or other dressing) should introduce the extra moisture required to get them out of their dehydrated stated.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

Link to comment
Share on other sites

adding water would effectively rehydrate them, which to me would be a bit funky.  they're already cooked, so i wouldn't concern yourself too much with re-cooking.

Are they cooked before drying? I always dried mine raw after brining.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, but I did bash them about (™ Jamie Oliver) in a pestle and mortar with the rest of the salad.

Ah, but did you bung 'em and call them "me old son" (™ Jamie Oliver)? No? Then pukkha up.

I'm sure they were fine.

Dried shrimp are nice briefly toasted in a dry pan and then tossed with coarse salt, perhaps some dried chile. With sake or beer.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have used them thus:

3 Thai bird chiles, soaked in warm water to soften, chopped, water reserved

1/4 c. chopped shallot

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 big old Tbsp. dried shrimp

big pinch salt

1 tomato, chopped

vegetable oil

2 oz. ground pork

pinch ground turmeric

5 Asian eggplants, cut into thin slices

handful mint leaves, torn

In mortar & pestle, bash about the chiles, shallots, garlic, shrimp, salt. Make a paste. Or make it in a blender and add a little of the chile water. Coat a heavy pot with oil and heat oil. Brown the pork. Add spice paste and turmeric. Lower heat and cook until aromatic. Add eggplant and stir, cover, reduce heat to low. Cook and stir every once in a while until eggplant is tender and loses its shape. Serve with mint (or coriander) with rice.

Courtesy of Duguid/Alford. Have prepared almost every recipe from HOT SOUR and have had great results, also, have used the above very untraditionally as a topping for crostini.

Noise is music. All else is food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 years later...

Once again betrayed by my faulty memory, I have just discovered that my "recently purchased" bag of dried shrimp was in fact purchased about a year ago. It's been in the refrigerator, unopened, the whole time. There is no expiry date or mfr date on the package.

Are they still good? And how exactly would this item go bad? Does the flavor change, even if it's still safe to eat? For future reference, what is the optimal shelf life?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't mention what form of storage they are in. Are they vacuum packed? Is there a moisture absorbent compound in with them?

If moisture has penetrated the package, there is a strong likelihood that they are spoilt.

If not, this article tested them out to at least 15 weeks and they were fine.

Once exposed to air, the shelf life is around 8 - 15 days

If they are irradiated, they last even longer.

To be safe, I'd probably buy some more rather than use a year-old product.

Nick Reynolds, aka "nickrey"

"The Internet is full of false information." Plato
My eG Foodblog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd say that shelf life depends on the sort of dried shrimp you have. The asian kind usually has head, legs, and shell intact, or at least some of the shell. This sort definitely doesn't last forever and can develop distinctly off flavors (mostly coming from the stuff in the heads).

On the other hand, dried shrimp produced in Louisiana are air-dried in tumblers that flake off the shells, leaving just the very, very dried tail meat. These have a pretty long shelf life at room temp, as long as they're kept dry. I have a big bag that I use as cat treats (one cat will even do tricks for them), and after a year at room temp, they look & smell exactly the same. Here's a link to Blum & Bergeron,a concern that's been drying shrimp in Louisiana for practically 100 years.

Dunno if your fridge storage has led to condensation that might cause spoiling...

Edited by HungryC (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, I will definitely toss these. They are shelled and in one of those thick plastic bags that is kind of like a pillow--don't know if that qualifies as vacuum sealed but am not inclined to take chances-- just reading about all the different kinds of molds has made me feel a lot less frugal! Actually maybe I'll hold on to them until I get a fresh bag and do a sniff test comparo just for fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

In Louisiana the stores sell small bags of dried shrimp that are used as snacks or to cook with.We also purchase the shrimp, or catch them, to dry ourselves as I have done. Do others eat/ use these shrimp and if so how? I recently bought 120# of 60/80 shrimp and we boiled them in very salty water and lay them out on a metal sheet to dry while picking through and removing the heads .They are then put in crawfish sacks. After a week of taking in at night and putting out in the day and shaking the shells off we now have 15# of dried shrimp,so i would appreciate ideas on using them. I have only used them as a snack shrimp 001.JPG . nov 2012 133.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am sure some more knowledgeable folks will chime in but I do know that dried shrimp are important in Asian and Hispanic cuisines. They are sold even in my local big chain markets. I had no idea about their history in the South. Eager to hear more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love frying big batches in plenty of oil and saving it. This shrimp oil is a big part of making certain Thai dishes and was that "as good as a restaurant in Thailand" revelation for me. But they use fresh shrimp shells. I like the dried because it so much cheaper bought from my local hispanic store.

Sleep, bike, cook, feed, repeat...

Chef Facebook HQ Menlo Park, CA

My eGullet Foodblog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dried shrimp in SE LA Cajun cooking used to be pretty common, prior to freezing of shrimp. How else would you make seafood gumbo in the dead of winter? Many old school cooks still use dried shrimp to flavor gumbos and stews. I'm especially fond of a dried shrimp and potato stew (with a roux). Dried shrimp also show up in mirliton (chayote) dishes, cooked with white beans (navy beans), and are eaten out of hand as a snack. Powdered dried shrimp are a powerful boost to any seafood stock. In short, use em to deliver shrimp flavor to the backbone of a dish in the same way you would use smoked meats to flavor a dish....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am sure some more knowledgeable folks will chime in but I do know that dried shrimp are important in Asian and Hispanic cuisines. They are sold even in my local big chain markets. I had no idea about their history in the South. Eager to hear more.

They are widely used in Chinese cuisine in stir fries, soups, egg fried rice and hot pots. http://liuzhou.co.uk...-food-44-xiapi/ I too, would be interested in what you do with them in your neck of the woods. LargeDriedShrimp.jpg
heidih I didnt realize they were used in Hispanic cooking. liuzhou, the xiapi looked to be dried from a raw state as they are white,but I imagine they are so tiny it would not matter.
I love frying big batches in plenty of oil and saving it. This shrimp oil is a big part of making certain Thai dishes and was that "as good as a restaurant in Thailand" revelation for me. But they use fresh shrimp shells. I like the dried because it so much cheaper bought from my local hispanic store.
I will try this soon ScottyBoy because I love Thai food and need to practice more Thai recipes.I do use my shells in my stocks.
Dried shrimp in SE LA Cajun cooking used to be pretty common, prior to freezing of shrimp. How else would you make seafood gumbo in the dead of winter? Many old school cooks still use dried shrimp to flavor gumbos and stews. I'm especially fond of a dried shrimp and potato stew (with a roux). Dried shrimp also show up in mirliton (chayote) dishes, cooked with white beans (navy beans), and are eaten out of hand as a snack. Powdered dried shrimp are a powerful boost to any seafood stock. In short, use em to deliver shrimp flavor to the backbone of a dish in the same way you would use smoked meats to flavor a dish....
HungryC, I have had people tell me they use the shrimp in gumbo but I was thinking instead of fresh shrimp which the texture would not appeal to me,but to use powdered shrimp is a revelation. I could use the powder in more ways than whole,like fritter batters or a shrimp dip. We are putting away a portion for our emergency supplies, Cajun jerky lol.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...