What Delicious Dishes Can You Make with Dried Shrimp? 17 Irresistible Dried Shrimp Recipes

Dried shrimp is a familiar ingredient in many Vietnamese meals, easy to store, rich in flavor, and can be processed into countless delicious daily dishes. When researching dried shrimp dishes, many people often wonder what to cook with dried shrimp to change the taste for their family menu.

In this article, Ola Squid will summarize processing experiences, how to choose natural dried shrimp, and many easy-to-follow recipes at home.

What to cook with dried shrimp?

Dried shrimp naturally has a light salty taste and a characteristic aroma, so just combining it with vegetables or fish sauce creates a well-rounded dish. Below are the popular dishes that many families cook daily when searching for “what is dried shrimp good for”.

Dried shrimp simmered in fish sauce

In the list of what to cook with dried shrimp, the simmered fish sauce dish always belongs to the easy-to-cook and “addictive” group. Properly simmered dried shrimp will be shiny and beautiful, with a characteristic aroma, and extremely delicious when eaten with hot rice.

Ingredients:

• 80-100g dried shrimp (prefer small types or earth shrimp for better aroma)
• 1 tablespoon of good fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 minced shallot
• Cooking oil, ground pepper

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp for 10–15 minutes to make them soft and easy to absorb spices.
• Sauté shallots with a little oil until fragrant, add shrimp and stir quickly.
• Add fish sauce + sugar, lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
• Turn off the heat, sprinkle ground pepper to make the dish more fragrant.

Tips:

• Avoid simmering too long, as shrimp can easily become hard.
• Using delicious fish sauce determines most of the flavor of the simmered dish.

Dried shrimp in tomato sauce

One of the very popular dried shrimp dishes for daily meals. Tomatoes soften the shrimp, creating a balanced sour, salty, and sweet taste, suitable even for young children.

Ingredients:

• 70–90g dried shrimp
• 2–3 ripe tomatoes
• Shallots, minced garlic
• Cooking oil, fish sauce, sugar
• Green onions

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp so they expand and reduce saltiness.
• Sauté shallots and garlic, add tomatoes and stir-fry until soft.
• Add shrimp to stir-fry together, add a little water and season with fish sauce and sugar.
• Cook for another 4–5 minutes until the sauce thickens, then sprinkle with green onions.

Tips:

• Stir-fry tomatoes thoroughly for beautiful color and fragrant sauce.
• Use dried earth shrimp for a more natural sweet taste.

See more: How to make dried squid simmered in tomato sauce with irresistible rich flavor

Sautéed eggplant with dried shrimp

Crunchy eggplant combined with dried shrimp creates a rustic but very rice-consuming dish. This is a great suggestion if you are wondering what is dried shrimp good for for a quick dinner.

Ingredients:

• 200–300g eggplant (round type)
• 60–80g dried shrimp
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• Cooking oil, fish sauce, sugar
• Chili (optional)

Method:

• Soak eggplant in diluted salt water for 10 minutes to clean and keep it crunchy.
• Soak dried shrimp then drain.
• Sauté garlic until fragrant, add shrimp and stir-fry briefly.
• Add eggplant and stir well, season with fish sauce and sugar to taste.
• Stir-fry over high heat for 3–4 minutes so the eggplant keeps its beautiful color.

Tips:

• Do not stir-fry too long, eggplant easily becomes soft and watery.
• Add a little chili to make the dish more flavorful.

Dried shrimp with caramelized fish sauce

Kho quet is a “national” dipping sauce, but when adding dried shrimp, the flavor becomes much richer and more fragrant. This dish is especially suitable with boiled vegetables or scorched rice.

Ingredients:

• 50–70g small dried shrimp
• 30–50g pork fat or 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Chili, pepper, shallots

Method:

• Render the fat (if using pork fat) or heat the oil.
• Sauté shallots until fragrant, add dried shrimp and stir well until fragrant.
• Add fish sauce, sugar, pepper, a little water, and simmer over low heat until thickened.
• Add chili according to taste.

Tips:

• You should use small dried shrimp (earth shrimp) for strong aroma.
• Cook over low heat so the fish sauce doesn’t get too harsh.

Sautéed okra with dried shrimp

A light, refreshing dish that goes well with daily rice. Slightly crunchy okra and fragrant salty dried shrimp help the dish balance nutrition, very suitable for families with young children.

Ingredients:

• 200g okra
• 60-80g dried shrimp
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• Cooking oil, fish sauce, sugar
• A little ground pepper

Method:

• Cut off the ends of the okra, blanch quickly for 30 seconds to keep the green color.
• Soak dried shrimp until soft then drain.
• Sauté garlic, add shrimp and stir-fry until fragrant.
• Add okra and stir well, season with fish sauce and sugar to taste.
• Stir-fry quickly for 2–3 minutes and turn off the heat.

Tips:

• Do not stir-fry too long, as okra easily becomes slimy and loses its crunch.
• You can cut okra into rounds to make it easier for young children to eat.

Taro soup with dried shrimp

Taro soup with dried shrimp is a refreshing, easy-to-eat dish suitable for the whole family, especially children. When mentioning what is dried shrimp good for, this soup is always among the popular choices because of the light creamy taste of taro and the natural sweetness from shrimp.

Ingredients:

• 300g taro
• 60–80g dried shrimp
• Green onions
• Salt, fish sauce, pepper

Method:

• Peel taro, cut into bite-sized pieces, wash quickly to avoid itchy hands.
• Soak dried shrimp until soft, then crush slightly to make the soup sweeter.
• Boil water, add shrimp first, cook for 5 minutes to release the sweet flavor.
• Add taro, season with salt and fish sauce to taste, cook until taro is soft.
• Sprinkle green onions and pepper when turning off the heat.

Tips:

• You should choose small taro bulbs for better texture and aroma.
• Slightly crushing the shrimp helps the broth become richer without needing much seasoning.

Sautéed yardlong beans with dried shrimp

A rustic but nutritious dish, easy to make within 10 minutes. Lightly crunchy beans mixed with the sweet and salty taste of dried shrimp, very suitable for dried shrimp dishes menu in a low-fat direction.

Ingredients:

• 200–250g yardlong beans
• 70g dried shrimp
• Minced garlic
• Salt, cooking oil, fish sauce

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp for 10 minutes until soft.
• Cut beans into pieces, blanch for 30–40 seconds to keep the green color.
• Sauté garlic until fragrant, add shrimp and stir-fry first for 1–2 minutes.
• Add beans and stir well, season with fish sauce and a little salt.
• Stir-fry for another 2 minutes and it’s done.

Tips:

• Blanching helps the beans keep their beautiful color and not be tough.
• If you like spicy, add sliced fresh chili at the end.

Simmered pork with dried shrimp

This dish goes extremely well with rice, especially on chilly days. Fatty pork belly combined with dried shrimp creates a harmonious sweet and salty taste, suitable for family meals. This is also a great suggestion for the question what to cook with dried shrimp.

Ingredients:

• 200g pork belly
• 60–80g dried shrimp
• Garlic, shallots
• Fish sauce, sugar, pepper

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp until soft.
• Slice pork belly into thin pieces.
• Sauté shallots, add pork and stir until firm.
• Add dried shrimp together with fish sauce and sugar, stir well.
• Simmer over low heat for 5–10 minutes until the mixture thickens and has a beautiful color.

Tips:

• You can add a little coconut water to make the simmered dish more fragrant and softer.
• Do not simmer for too long, as shrimp can easily become dry and hard.

Sautéed gourd with dried shrimp

An extremely refreshing dish, suitable for the hot season. Quickly stir-fried gourd keeps its sweetness, adding dried shrimp helps the dish have a naturally rich flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 small gourd
• 60g dried shrimp
• Minced garlic
• Cooking oil, fish sauce, pepper

Method:

• Peel gourd, cut into strips or thin slices.
• Soak dried shrimp, drain.
• Sauté garlic, add shrimp and stir-fry until fragrant.
• Add gourd and stir quickly over high heat.
• Season with fish sauce and a little pepper, turn off the heat when the gourd is just cooked.

Tips:

• Do not stir-fry for long, gourd easily releases water and becomes mushy.
• Young gourds will be sweeter and have less fiber.

Sautéed luffa with dried shrimp

One of the easiest dishes to eat among dried shrimp recipes. Luffa is soft and light; when stir-fried with dried shrimp, it creates a natural sweetness, suitable for people who like light dishes.

Ingredients:

• 1 fragrant luffa
• 60–70g dried shrimp
• Green onions
• Minced garlic
• Basic seasonings

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp until soft.
• Peel luffa, cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Sauté garlic, add shrimp and stir well.
• Add luffa and stir-fry, season with fish sauce and salt to taste.
• Luffa cooks quickly, so just stir-fry for 2–3 minutes and turn off the heat, sprinkle with green onions.

Tips:

• Choose young fragrant luffa to keep the dish’s natural sweetness.
• You can add a little pepper to make the dish more fragrant.

See more: How to make stir-fried squid with luffa refreshing and pleasing to all tastes

Water spinach salad with dried shrimp

Water spinach salad with dried shrimp has the crunchy cool taste of blanched water spinach, blended with the natural deep sweetness of dried shrimp. This dish is easy to eat, easy to make, and very suitable as an appetizer or served with oily dishes.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of young water spinach
• 60 g dried shrimp
• 1 shallot
• Minced garlic
• Chili, lemon
• Fish sauce, sugar, vinegar or lemon
• Roasted peanuts (optional)

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp until soft then steam or boil for 5 minutes to release the aroma.
• Shred water spinach, blanch in boiling water then soak in ice water for crunchiness.
• Sauté garlic, stir dried shrimp briefly.
• Mix dressing: fish sauce, sugar, lemon, garlic, chili.
• Toss water spinach with shrimp, pour dressing, mix quickly and sprinkle with peanuts.

Mango salad with dried shrimp

Mango salad with dried shrimp is a dish with the light sourness of green mango combined with the moderate sweet and salty taste of shrimp. This is an excellent dish for refreshing the palate, very suitable for meals on hot days.

Ingredients:

• 1 green mango
• 60 g dried shrimp
• Chili, garlic
• Fish sauce, sugar
• Vietnamese coriander (rau ram)
• Roasted peanuts

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp until soft, steam for 5 minutes for aroma.
• Shred the mango into small strips.
• Mix sweet and sour fish sauce with minced garlic and chili.
• Toss mango with dried shrimp, pour the dressing in.
• Add Vietnamese coriander and roasted peanuts before serving.

Refer more: Dried squid mango salad: A crunchy sour and spicy snack, super attractive

Pomelo salad with dried shrimp

Pomelo salad with dried shrimp dish has a sweet refreshing taste, juicy pomelo segments blended with rich dried shrimp. This dish is easy to eat, appealing to everyone from adults to children.

Ingredients:

• 1 pomelo
• 70 g dried shrimp
• Garlic, chili
• Herbs: Vietnamese coriander or cilantro
• Fish sauce, sugar, lemon
• Peanuts

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp until soft then steam to increase sweetness.
• Peel pomelo, remove membranes, separate each segment.
• Mix sweet and sour fish sauce with garlic and chili.
• Gently toss pomelo with dried shrimp, pour in fish sauce.
• Add herbs and peanuts, stir gently so as not to crush the pomelo.

Dried shrimp with pickled leeks

Dried shrimp with pickled leeks is a traditional dish in parties and during the Lunar New Year. The light sourness and crunch of pickled leeks combined with the sweet and salty taste of dried shrimp create an appetizing dish, served with rice, banh tet, or as a snack.

Ingredients:

• 150 g pickled leeks
• 80 g dried shrimp
• Chili strips
• Sugar (adjust sweetness)

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp with warm water to soften.
• Rinse pickled leeks briefly to reduce excessive sourness.
• Toss dried shrimp with pickled leeks, add a little sugar and chili strips.
• Leave for 10–15 minutes to absorb flavors then it’s ready to use.

Salt-toasted dried shrimp

Salt-toasted dried shrimp is a simple but rice-consuming dish, dried shrimp toasted golden, blending with the light salty taste of salt and fragrance of garlic. Very suitable for a quick family meal.

Ingredients:

• 80 g dried shrimp
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Minced garlic
• Cooking oil
• Green onions

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp until soft and drain.
• Sauté garlic until golden, add shrimp to toast.
• Season with salt to taste, stir well until the shrimp firm up.
• Sprinkle green onions and turn off the heat.

Sautéed corn with dried shrimp

Sautéed corn with dried shrimp is a familiar snack with the natural sweetness of corn mixed with salty dried shrimp. This dish is easy to make, very suitable as a snack or side dish in a meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of sweet corn
• 60 g dried shrimp
• Green onions
• Butter (optional)
• Basic seasonings

Method:

• Rinse dried shrimp, soak until soft.
• Separate corn kernels.
• Sauté onions, stir-fry shrimp first for aroma.
• Add corn and stir well, season, can add butter to increase creaminess.
• Sprinkle green onions and turn off the heat.

River creeper salad with dried shrimp

Fresh and lightly crunchy river creeper (rau cang cua) when mixed with dried shrimp creates a Vietnamese salad that is both light and highly nutritious. This dish is great for light eaters or those looking to change their taste.

Ingredients:

• 150 g river creeper
• 60 g dried shrimp
• 1 tomato or ½ onion
• Fish sauce, sugar, lemon
• Minced garlic, chili
• Roasted peanuts

Method:

• Soak dried shrimp with warm water, steam for 5 minutes for aroma.
• Wash river creeper, drain.
• Mix sweet and sour fish sauce.
• Toss greens with dried shrimp, add tomato or onion.
• Pour dressing and sprinkle with peanuts.

How to identify natural dried shrimp, without chemicals

Natural dried shrimp has a characteristic color and flavor, not dyed with food coloring or infused with chemicals. Correct identification helps you buy quality shrimp, safe for health and retaining the natural sweet taste of the shrimp.

How to identify:

• Color: Natural dried shrimp has a light orange or brick red color. The color is not 100% uniform because each shrimp has a different degree of doneness. If the color is unusually bright red or too shiny, there’s a high chance it’s colored.
• Fragrance: Real dried shrimp has the characteristic aroma of sun-dried or dried sea shrimp. It’s not harsh, not pungent, and has no chemical smell.
• Dryness: Natural shrimp is moderately dry, not too hard. When broken in half, the meat fibers are firm and have slight elasticity.
• Shape: Small, compact shrimp, naturally curved, the meat part is darker than the shell part. Shrimp that are too shiny or straight are signs of chemical treatment.
• Soaking water: When soaking natural shrimp, the water is slightly light yellow. If the water turns orange-red or has colored sediment, it could be dyed shrimp.
• Selling price: Natural dried shrimp is usually higher in price. If the price is unusually cheap, you need to be cautious.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about dried shrimp

How to store dried shrimp

Dried shrimp are easily molded or lose their aroma if stored incorrectly. Proper storage helps shrimp keep their sweetness, chewiness and not spoil for a long time.

How to store:

• Let the dried shrimp drain completely and put them in an airtight jar.
• Store in the cool compartment for 4–6 months, or freezer for 12 months.
• Avoid keeping in moist, hot places as mold can easily grow.
• If used for a long time, it should be vacuum sealed.
• Before use, toast briefly to dry and become fragrant if the shrimp show signs of becoming soft.

What to cook with dried shrimp meat

Dried shrimp meat (peeled) is soft, sweet and easier to process than whole dried shrimp. Therefore, it is often used in soups, porridges, stir-fries and salads.

See more: Tips for storing dried squid properly for long-term use

Delicious dried shrimp meat dishes:

• Dried shrimp meat porridge: simple, easy to eat, suitable for children or sick people.
• Malabar spinach soup with shrimp meat: refreshing taste, cooks very fast.
• Pumpkin soup with dried shrimp: naturally fragrant and sweet, no need to use MSG.
• Sautéed water spinach with shrimp meat: shrimp is soft, easy to absorb seasonings.
• Mango salad with shrimp meat: easy to eat, very suitable for Vietnamese tastes.
• Dried shrimp fried rice: soft shrimp meat, mixed with rice very harmoniously.

How to soften dried shrimp

Dried shrimp are sometimes a bit hard because they are sun-dried for a long time or are large. Softening shrimp properly helps them release flavor, become easier to process and taste better.

How to soften:

• Soak in warm water for 10–15 minutes: the popular way to help shrimp soften naturally.
• Steam shrimp for 5 minutes: helps shrimp smell better and become softer than soaking.
• Soak in coconut water: helps shrimp be soft and sweeter, suitable when making stir-fried dishes.
• Cook directly in soup: shrimp will naturally soften during the cooking process.

Dried shrimp is a familiar ingredient in Vietnamese kitchens and can be processed into many attractive dishes. Just knowing how to choose natural dried shrimp, soften correctly and store properly, you can completely flexibly transform dried shrimp dishes for daily meals.

The article has also provided full suggestions so you no longer have to wonder what to cook with dried shrimp or what is dried shrimp good for, from salads and stir-fries to soups and snacks. Hopefully these suggestions will help you easily apply and create many new dishes from dried shrimp. Besides dried shrimp, if you are looking for premium seafood for your kitchen, check out our selection of whole dried squid at Ola Squid! Discover more attractive, easy-to-make seafood recipes right at Ola Squid’s Culinary Blog!