Textual Chef Textual Chef

Prawn Crackers

Crispy and light seafood snacks made from blended prawns and tapioca starch. They expand instantly when deep fried into airy crackers.

65 minHardServes 6180 cal/serving

ChineseAppetizerStovetop and OvenPescatarianHalal-friendlyDairy-FreeNut-FreeEgg-FreeSoy-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeLow-Sodium

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb raw prawns, peeled
  • 2 cups tapioca starch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/4 cup ice water
  • 4 cups vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. 1

    Puree 1 lb peeled raw prawns in a food processor until smooth.

  2. 2

    Add 2 cups tapioca starch, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground white pepper, and 1/4 cup ice water to form a firm dough.

  3. 3

    Shape dough into thin logs and steam over high heat for 30 minutes until set.

  4. 4

    Chill logs completely in the refrigerator, then slice paper thin with a sharp knife.

  5. 5

    Dehydrate slices in a low oven at 150F for 3 hours until completely dried and hard.

  6. 6

    Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep pot to 350F and fry dried slices for 3 seconds until expanded and floating.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

How much time should I plan for Prawn Crackers?

As written, 65 minutes: 40 of prep and 25 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 5 (3 hours): "Dehydrate slices in a low oven at 150F for 3 hours until completely dried and hard." That wait sits outside the stated prep and cook times, so plan around it.

What temperature do I cook Prawn Crackers at?

For Prawn Crackers, the oven is set to 150 F (about 65 C) in step 5. The longest stretch at that heat is 3 hours, in step 5. The frying oil is held at 350 F (about 175 C) in step 6. Hotter scorches the outside before the inside cooks, and cooler turns it greasy.

Can I use frozen shrimp instead of shrimp in Prawn Crackers?

Yes; most shrimp sold as fresh were frozen once already. Thaw them under cold running water for about ten minutes and pat them very dry so they sear instead of steaming. As written, the entry for Prawn Crackers uses 1 lb raw prawns, peeled.

Does Prawn Crackers contain shellfish?

Yes: 1 lb raw prawns, peeled. The full allergen list for this entry is shellfish. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How many calories are in Prawn Crackers?

One serving (the recipe makes 6) is about 180 calories, with 8 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate and 6 g fat, plus 340 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Which part of Prawn Crackers can be done ahead?

Everything up to step 3. Step 3 is a built-in pause of 30 minutes: "Shape dough into thin logs and steam over high heat for 30 minutes until set." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 4 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Chinese entries

All Chinese recipes · All Appetizer recipes