Chili Shrimp Pancakes: How to Rinse Shrimp in a Mixture of Vinegar and Mirin to Enhance Firmness

If you are looking for a special delicacy to serve guests or as a family snack ahead of the holidays, 'Chili Shrimp Pancakes,' which maximize the texture of shrimp, are a great choice. According to a video from the YouTube channel Ttangkkeut Maeul Im Seonsaeng, you can achieve a bouncy texture by utilizing the natural stickiness of the shrimp itself and egg whites, even without using separate flour.

Shrimp Preparation to Remove Odor and Enhance Texture

The first step to making delicious shrimp pancakes is removing the fishy smell of the shrimp and making the meat firm. The video uses frozen whiteleg shrimp, prepared with the tails removed. Rather than using the prepared shrimp immediately, it is necessary to rinse them by soaking them briefly in a mixture of 4 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of mirin, and 2 tablespoons of salt.

The video explains that adding vinegar makes the meat firmer and slightly removes the fishy smell. Additionally, salt is added because rinsing in plain water might cause the flavor to leach out. Once rinsed, the shrimp must be well-drained of moisture so that the batter does not become soggy.

Refreshing Seasoned Batter Using Chili Peppers and Green Onions

To add freshness without compromising the flavor of the shrimp, plenty of chili peppers and green onions are used. Prepare 4 green chili peppers, 2 Cheongyang chili peppers, 1–2 red chili peppers, and 1 stalk of green onion (excluding the leaves). In the video, a chopper was used to finely mince the chili peppers and green onions to use as seasoning. The amount can be adjusted depending on the size of the peppers, and adding Cheongyang chili peppers adds a refreshing taste.

Add the shrimp meat to the minced chili peppers and green onions, then add the seasoning. The seasoning consists of 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and a bit of salt. The key point here is not to season too heavily with salt. The seasoning is adjusted considering that they will be dipped in soy sauce later. To increase the binding strength of the batter, add 1 egg white and knead it sufficiently. Even without adding flour, the natural stickiness of the shrimp and the egg white serve to bind the ingredients together.

Cooking Tips to Complete the Bouncy Texture

Once the batter is complete, heat a pan and shape the mixture into appropriate sizes to fry. In the video, rather than a round meatball shape, the mixture was shaped slightly elongated and thick, like the shape of a shrimp, so that the bouncy texture can be better felt when chewed. Rather than frying them too thin, they should have some thickness to properly enjoy the unique firmness of the shrimp.

If the consistency of the batter is too thin and difficult to shape, adding starch powder can be helpful. The video mentions that powder may be needed depending on how finely the shrimp meat is minced, and adjusted the batter by mixing in about half a tablespoon of potato starch. Adding starch powder makes the batter have a texture more like a pancake, making it easier to maintain its shape.