Thai-Korean Inspired Preserved Shrimp

I don't expect this will be the most popular concoction I've ever shared here. It is admittedly slightly hardcore and challenging stuff.

But it's the kind of stuff I grew up eating and loving as a little girl when they used to call me hahlmohni (Korean for grandmother) for my somewhat precocious inclination toward what were usually considered to be tastes acquired later in life.

And it was inspired by a dish we had at our dinner at Lers Ros with my friend Maria up in San Francisco, koong chae nam pla, which is a seasoned fish sauce brined raw shrimp with things like garlic, lemongrass, chilies, and fresh mint. 

When I took my first bite, it immediately reminded me of a Korean side dish called gaejahng (the preserved crab, not the dog soup), which is a similar soy sauce brined preparation, only made with raw blue crabs, eaten with steamed rice.

I left the heads on the shrimp because the stuff inside is similar to crab tomalley, and that stuff is the most prized element of Korean gaejahng.

Thai-Korean Inspired Preserved Raw Shrimp
(inspired by koong chae nam pla and gaejahng aka gejang)

- about 3/4 pounds raw head-on 31-40 count shrimp, body peeled and deveined, heads intact

Brine ingredients:

- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1 habanero, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 chiles de arbol, thinly sliced
- about 1.5" knob of ginger, peeled and finely julienned
- 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
- 2 dried Kaffir lime leaves, finely julienned (optional)
- the zest and juice of 1 Kaffir lime (about 2 tablespoons) If you don't have Kaffir lime, you can just the zest of 1 regular lime and about 1.5 Tablespoons regular lime juice
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar

1) Combine all the brine ingredients and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.

2) Lay the shrimp in a single layer in a bottle or plastic container and spoon enough brine over it to coat. Repeat the process until all the shrimp is layered and brined.

3) Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours before eating, redistributing the shrimp 2 or 3 times to ensure even seasoning.

I served it tonight over a bed of green cabbage and chopped fresh mint and cilantro with some extra brine spooned over the greens so we could squeeze some fresh lime juice on top and make a salad of it.

And that went perfectly with our dinner of Coconut Coconut Curry and steamed jasmine rice washed down with a fat mug of mint limeade. :)

shinae