Salt-Grilled Dokdo Shrimp

Quick answer

Total time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 4

About this dish

This dish features salt-grilled Dokdo shrimp, selecting flower or chicken shrimp caught near Dokdo island to highlight their natural flavor.

The shrimp are rinsed, treated with rice wine to eliminate odor, and trimmed of long antennae while keeping the heads intact to preserve the rich umami flavor of the liver. A layer of coarse salt is spread over parchment paper in a pan and heated to distribute warmth evenly. The shrimp are arranged on the salt bed and cooked covered to trap moisture, preventing the flesh from drying. Once the shells turn bright red, they are turned and cooked briefly to ensure the meat remains tender instead of becoming tough. Squeezed lemon juice is applied before serving. The separated shrimp heads can be saved and stir-fried with butter to create an additional savory side dish.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

Dokdo shrimp10 pcspcs

Coarse salt1 cupcup

Lemon½ pcpc

Cheongju (rice wine)1 tbsptbsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Control

Rinse 10 Dokdo shrimp briefly under running water, then drain them in a colander.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp cheongju evenly over the shrimp and let them stand for 5 minutes to reduce any fishy smell without soaking the shells.
2

Prep

Trim the long antennae with scissors, leaving about 5 cm so they do not burn in the pan.

Make a shallow cut along the back, remove the vein carefully, and pat the shells very dry with paper towels.
3

Control

Line a wide pan or pot with parchment paper and spread 1 cup coarse salt into an even 1 cm layer.

Preheat over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the salt feels hot and dry underneath.
4

Control

When the salt is hot, arrange the shrimp on top without overlapping and cover with a lid.

Cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, checking that the shells turn bright red and the shrimp steam inside.
5

Control

When most of the shells are a vivid red, turn the shrimp carefully with tongs.

Cover again and cook only 2 minutes more, just until the color is even, so the meat does not shrink or turn tough.
6

Finish

Turn off the heat as soon as the shrimp are fully red and the flesh feels springy through the shell.

Squeeze over the juice from half a lemon, serve hot, and reserve the heads separately if you want to cook them later.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: A bed of sea salt distributes heat evenly to preserve the sweet flavor of Salt-Grilled Dokdo Shrimp.
Finish cue: Turn off the heat as soon as the shrimp are fully red and the flesh feels springy through the shell.
Avoid this: Trim the long antennae with scissors, leaving about 5 cm so they do not burn in the pan.
Substitution: Once the shells turn bright red, they are turned and cooked briefly to ensure the meat remains tender instead of becoming tough.