Probably my very first encounter with dried krill 磷蝦 was in Japan, where it was sold as a small eat and labeled as Sakura shrimp 桜海老. Then, I met it again in Taiwan, known as 櫻花蝦 there, that is, sharing the namesake Sakura. Back home, I came to realize that we also have similar specie of krill fished here in Hong Kong and in China, respectively called silver shrimps 銀蝦 and shrimp skins 蝦皮, and are also available in dried form.
The Chinese krill we have here looks rather pale and shares no trait of red hue as found in Sakura shrimps (Japan or Taiwan type). The reddish Sakura shrimps I have ever bought are ready-to-eat, but they usually cost (about HK$50-$100 per 100g) at least several times more than the Chinese krill. That may explain why I too like buying the wallet-friendly pale shrimps even they need to be washed and briefly sauteed before serving.
My silver shrimps turned from pale to yellowish after storing in fridge for a couple of months
Whichever the specie is, dried krill has proved to me a versatile ingredient, helping to add umami flavors in various dishes, like filling omelet, topping fried tofu, steaming with eggs, stir-frying with gourds or even serving with porridge, noodles, potage or rice soup, just to name a few …
What I have here is a roughly one-minute way of serving this tiny dried seafood with rice, which requires no detailed recipe. As your rice is cooked and is still hot, top each bowl of it with a desired amount of Sakura shrimps, a handful of sliced green onion, plus a knob of butter and a drizzle of soy sauce to taste. Serve, mix well everything and enjoy!
It is this simple and needs no practice.
You may find Sakura shrimps here mostly in sizable supermarkets. As for silver shrimps and shrimp skins, try to seek them out in grocery stores, but do take note that they are fairly seasonal (perhaps they are less processed and are not sold in package) .
Enjoy!
- Category: Rice and Grain .
- 15 comments
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hi maureen, here we have these dried krills but i’ve never bought them before. They are also very much pale in colour. Do you need to fry these krills again before putting them on the rice?
hmmmm, sounds so simple and delicious!
I love dried shrimps/krill….actually just made some white radish with dried shrimps…really tasty.
@Lena,
For the pale ones, yes, I’ll briefly sauté them with oil on low flame until fragrant. Sometimes, I even add chopped garlic or shallot to the oil for added aroma. You may also want to rinse them in a fine colander, drain and pat fry before sautéing just to make sure they are free from any impurities.
Enjoy!
@Angie@Angie’s Recipes,
Agree, and the radish is in season now.
Thanks for your dried krill “解说” esp. in terms of their names in different parts of the world. I tend to call them 蝦皮 🙂 Right now I have both the Sakura and Silver shrimps in my pantry and I bought both of them from the Japanese supermarkets. I like to use the smaller pale silver shrimps in stir-fries and for those bigger Sakura shrimps, I save them for flavoring soups and stews.
@tigerfish,
Right, the shrimps are great flavoring agent too : )!
Some time ago, I bought aimlessly a package of those tiny silver shrimps, but I realized they were far less flavorful than the regular dried shrimps, so I didn’t make use of them. Your tips are very useful then ! Do you prepare these shrimps in any case by rinsing and stir-frying them ? Thanks in advance for your answer !
@Helena,
Yes, I always rinse the pale shrimps before cooking unless I’m sure that the they need not be washed. If not stir-frying, I’d also steam them (like with eggs). In case you are not frying them and want to mask the fishy smell (if any), try season them with a pinch of ground white pepper.
Enjoy!
P.S. And don’t forget adding a knob of butter plus a dollop of soy sauce if you are going to serve them with rice : ).
I saw it in my bowl of Taiwan’s savoury bean curd. It’s a secret ingredient in many Asian savoury dishes 🙂
Hi,
I shall have limited internet access in the coming week, please excuse me if I respond to you late, thanks!
I appreciate this educational lesson! I have heard of krill, but have never had it. At least I don’t think. We did have a few dishes in Brazil that used dried shrimp. This is such a beautiful bowl of delicious food! Lovely!
Thanks for your blog and beautiful pictures. It’s nice to be able to share foods from home (hong kong) with non Chinese speaking friends. 🙂
So interesting…I never had these little shrimps, and from your description I must look for it. They sure sound very tasty 🙂
Thanks for the post and hope you are having a great week!
@Selina,
Excuse me for not replying earlier as I was out of town. Thanks! I too hope you and your friends together enjoy our foods : ).