Drunk Shrimp

Drunk Shrimp (Simplified Chinese: 醉虾; Traditional Chinese: 醉蝦; Pinyin: Zuì xiā; also Drunken Shrimp) are shrimp prepared in the Chinese "drunk" (醉) style: live or very fresh shrimp are steeped in seasoned Chinese rice wine (often with ginger, scallion, and spices) so the flesh takes on alcoholic aroma and a firm, chilled texture. Some restaurants serve briefly blanched or partially cooked variants. The dish is related to Drunk Crab (醉蟹) as Jiangnan wine-seafood cuisine. It is not ordinary stir-fried shrimp in wine sauce. Food-safety and parasite-risk discussions around raw-style drunk seafood are ongoing; this page describes culinary culture, not a safety endorsement.

Characteristics

Shrimp are pink-translucent to opaque depending on cook level; served cold in wine marinade. Flavor is wine-forward, lightly sweet-savory, and aromatic with ginger.

Ingredients (overview)

Fresh shrimp, Shaoxing or other rice wine, salt, sugar, ginger, scallion; optional chili. Related family to Drunk Crab.

History and culture

Eastern Chinese banquet and tavern tradition of "drunk" seafood; Shanghai and Jiangnan menus feature drunk shrimp and crab seasonally. English menus say "drunken shrimp" or "drunk shrimp." Soft claims of a single city inventorship are folk. See Shanghai Food and Drunk Crab.

Serving and variations

Cold appetizer with wine marinade; seasonal specialty. See Drunk Crab, Shanghai Food, and Zhejiang Food.

See also

• Drunk Crab
• Shanghai Food
• Zhejiang Food
• List of dishes (A-Z)