Shrimp with Tomato Sauce

For seafood lovers, shrimp with tomato sauce is definitely a great choice. When fresh shrimp meets carefully cooked tomato sauce, the original taste of shrimp and the fruity aroma of tomatoes set off each other. Every bite is an ultimate enjoyment.

Required ingredients and substitutes

Main ingredients:

Prawns: With tender and springy meat, it is the core ingredient of this dish, bringing a delicious seafood flavor.

Accessories:

Red bell pepper: Adds color and a slight spicy taste, making the dish more visually appealing and richer in flavor.

Garlic: After being minced, it gives off a strong garlic aroma, removing fishy smell and enhancing fragrance, and elevating the flavor level of the whole dish.

Onion: Gives a unique pungent flavor, making the dish more fragrant and with a richer taste.

Seasonings:

Oil: Used for frying shrimp and stir-frying in a hot pan, making the ingredients heat evenly and stimulating their respective aromas.

Tomato sauce: Provides a rich tomato flavor. It is the key ingredient for tomato sauce, giving the dish a sweet and sour taste.

Salt: Basic seasoning for controlling the saltiness of the dish and highlighting the delicious taste of the ingredients themselves.

Sugar: Adds sweetness and neutralizes sourness. Paired with tomato sauce, it creates a sweet and sour delicious taste.

Cooking wine: Removes fishy smell and greasiness. Removes the fishy smell of shrimp and makes the dish taste more pure.

Substitutes:

Prawns: White prawns can be used instead, which can also bring a delicious taste of prawn meat.

Red bell pepper: Green peppers can be substituted. The spiciness is relatively lighter and the color is green, bringing a different fresh feeling to the dish.

Onion: Green onions can be substituted. With a strong onion aroma, it has a similar fragrance-enhancing effect and can change the flavor characteristics of the dish.

Tomato sauce: Mashed fresh tomatoes can be substituted. It is natural and healthy. The tomato flavor is fresher, but it needs to be stir-fried for a while longer to form a pulp.

Cooking wine: Baijiu can be substituted. The fishy smell removal effect is similar. The wine aroma is different and can be chosen according to personal preference.

Should the head of the prawn be removed?

Yes. Prawns with the head removed are easier to absorb flavors and are more evenly fried, allowing each prawn to be coated with rich tomato sauce.

During processing, only a few steps such as removing the head, whiskers, making a slit on the back, and removing the shrimp intestine are needed. This processing method is especially suitable for the dish of shrimp with tomato sauce, because the key is to let the shrimp meat fully absorb the flavor of the sauce.

Prawns with the head removed are easier to control the heat when frying. There is no need to worry about the problem of the shrimp head being burnt while the shrimp meat is not yet cooked. Moreover, the shrimp meat processed in this way is easier to eat and more convenient to consume.

What method is more convenient for removing the prawn intestine?

Using a toothpick is the most convenient method for removing the prawn intestine. Insert a toothpick from the slit opened on the back of the prawns, gently lift the black prawn intestine, and then slowly pull it out. The entire prawn intestine can be completely removed.

Compared to other tools, a toothpick is fine and pointed and easy to operate without hurting the prawn meat. Moreover, it can be found easily at home. Removing the prawn intestine with chopsticks or knives is easy to crush the prawn meat. It is especially difficult to handle when the prawns are relatively small.

When handling the prawn intestine, it is best to pull it forward from the tail of the prawns. In this way, it is not easy to break. If the prawn intestine breaks, you can use a toothpick to pick up the broken part again and continue to pull it out until it is completely cleaned.

What should be done if tomato sauce is prone to sticking to the pan when stir-frying?

You can try these methods:

Add some clear water: When pouring in tomato sauce, conveniently add about 20 milliliters of clear water. Doing this can dilute the tomato sauce a bit. When stir-frying, it won't be so thick and can evenly coat the ingredients. Naturally, it won't be easy to burn.

Control the heat: After the tomato sauce is put into the pan, quickly turn down the heat and change to medium-low heat for slow stir-frying, and keep stirring. As soon as high heat is applied, the tomato sauce will immediately be unevenly heated and dry quickly in some areas. Frequent stirring with medium-low heat can avoid sticking to the pan.

Use a non-stick pan: Stir-frying this stuff with a non-stick pan is much more worry-free. Its pan bottom is heated evenly. When stir-frying, the heat is easy to control. Compared with ordinary pans, the risk of sticking to the pan is much reduced.