Name: Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 pound large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined; 1/2 teaspoon table salt for brining; ½ teaspoon baking soda for brining; 6 ounces ground pork; 1½ teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided; 1 teaspoon table salt, divided; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 3 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon tables Shaoxing wine; 1 cup frozen peas and carrots; 2 teaspoons Chinese or other chicken bouillon powder; 1 teaspoon sugar; ¼ teaspoon white pepper; 2 large egg whites; ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Why This Recipe Works

An iconic American Cantonese restaurant dish that's also perfect for busy weeknights, shrimp with lobster sauce features plump, juicy shrimp in a light, glossy, chicken broth–based gravy that’s delicately but deeply savory. (Despite the name, the sauce doesn't actually include lobster.) Soaking the raw shrimp in a baking soda–laced brine enhances their juicy, snappy bite, while poaching them separate from the rest of the dish ensures that they cook precisely and rids them of any fishy aroma and surface proteins that could cloud the sauce. To make a savory base, we stir-fry a modest amount of ground pork with ginger, garlic, and scallions. These components, along with frozen peas and carrots as well as feathery egg-white ribbons, are suspended in a translucent, lightly thickened chicken broth, all of which gets generously ladled over steamed rice.

Before You Begin

We like the flavor and texture of untreated shrimp, but if your shrimp are treated with salt or additives such as sodium tripolyphosphate, do not add the salt in step 1. Chinese brands of chicken bouillon powder, such as from Lee Kum Kee, produce a very light broth that gives this dish its signature pale color. But other brands as well as chicken broth can be substituted. If using broth, substitute 2 cups for the bouillon and water in step 4. Serve over white rice.

Instructions

Combine 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined; ½ teaspoon table salt; ½ teaspoon baking soda; and 2 cups cold water in large bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse shrimp. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add shrimp and cook until just opaque, about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to plate.

Combine 6 ounces ground pork, 1½ teaspoons cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon salt in small bowl and stir until cornstarch is evenly distributed.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over medium-high heat until smoking. Add pork mixture and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with spatula, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add thinly sliced whites of 2 scallions, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons grated ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drizzle 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine around perimeter of wok and stir to combine.

Add 2 cups water, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes.

Mix remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup water in bowl until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture into wok and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is thickened, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to low. Beat 2 egg whites in small bowl. Using chopsticks or fork to partially cover lip of bowl, slowly drizzle thin streams of egg into wok in circular motion. Simmer, without stirring, until egg begins to set, about 30 seconds.

Gently stir in shrimp and ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil, taking care not to overly break up egg threads. Off heat, sprinkle with thinly sliced greens of 2 scallions. Serve.