Imagine succulent, plump prawns, their natural sweetness elevated by this luscious, buttery and creamy salted egg yolk sauce. This has got to be one of my top 3 favorite recipes using fresh prawns.
This dish originated from the Southeast Asian region, where salted duck eggs are consumed in countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.

If you can get your hands on salted duck eggs then this recipe is essentially very easy to make. This recipe is a must for the true food connoisseur!

About This Recipe

Prawns shells on or off?

I like to keep the shrimp shells on but I usually remove the head. However, some restaurants do keep the heads on, but I prefer to take them off because I don't eat the heads.

You can use my deep fried shrimp heads recipe if you're looking for a way to make a crispy and delicious treat out of shrimp heads.

Here's why I keep the skin on:

Shrimp shells do more than just protect the flesh; they also significantly enhance its flavor in three ways:

• Shrimp shells contain water-soluble flavor compounds that are absorbed by the shrimp flesh during cooking, thereby enhancing its taste.

• The shells are also loaded with proteins and sugars—almost as much as the flesh itself. When they brown, they undergo the flavor-enhancing Maillard reaction just as roasted meats do, which gives the shells even more flavor and umami to pass along to the flesh. Extra umami is always good!

Quick Tip:
The rubbery texture of shrimp shells is caused by moisture, so to crisp the shells, it’s necessary to dehydrate them as much as possible by using a kitchen towel.

What are salted eggs?
Salted duck eggs are a traditional Chinese and Southeast Asian delicacy made by preserving duck eggs in a mixture of salt, clay, ash, and sometimes other ingredients. The process results in a unique and savory flavor, as well as a distinctive texture.

Curry leaves
Curry leaves are a common and aromatic ingredient in many Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines. Including curry leaves in a salted egg yolk shrimp recipe can add a unique and fragrant flavor to the dish and in my opinion is a must.

Size of the prawns
I've made this dish with large prawns and medium-sized prawns. And I find the medium one to be better and sweeter.

To give you an idea of prawn sizes:
Large prawns -> 22 prawns per kilogram or 10 prawns per pound
Medium prawns -> 34-44 prawns per kilogram or 15 prawns per pound.

Source: fishme.com.au

Can you use normal milk instead of evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk is a thicker form of milk and will help to make a creamier sauce, due to it containing reduced water content compared to regular milk.

Equipment You Need

- Wok or frying pan large enough for deep frying

Salted Egg Prawns Recipe

Ingredients

Preparing the prawns
300g Prawns with the head off
1 Egg white
5 tbsp Corn flour (rice flour will work just as well)

Preparing the Salted Egg Yolk Sauce
50g Unsalted butter
8 minced garlic cloves (40 grams)
1 red chilli chopped finely
30 Curry leaves 4 stalks
4 salted duck eggs (65 grams)
3/4 cup Evaporated milk (200 grams)
2tsp Sugar (10 grams)
1/4 teaspoon salt (3 grams)
1/2 tsp black pepper (2 grams)
2 teaspoons chicken stock powder 6 grams)

Deep Frying
Enough oil to cover half of your work

Salted Egg Prawns Cooking Instructions

Step 1. Prepping the shrimp.
Keep the skin on but make a slit in the back of the prawn with a knife and take out the guts and cut off the legs. First, add the prawns to the egg whites and then coat prawns in the corn flour and you'll want to ensure that you cover the prawns nicely and shake off any excess flour.

Step 2. Cooking the shrimp
Frying at 180 degrees Celsius. Thermometer or use a wooden chopstick and if it fizzes in hot oil then you’re good to fry. Never fill a wok more than half way up for safety reasons.
Add about 6 prawns at a time and don’t overcrowd the pan and deep fry the prawns until golden brown.

Step 3. Saute garlic and chilli in butter
On medium heat melt butter in your wok and saute garlic and chilli for about a minute then and the curry leaves and mix and stir evenly.

Step 4. Add the egg yolk to the same pan
Use spatula to finely mash the egg yolks into the sauce. Once the yolks are evenly mashed into the mix, it’s time for the next step.

Step 5. Add the evaporated milk and all the seasonings
You’ll want to keep mixing all of this and keep pressing the egg yolks to ensure it mixes evenly into the sauce. (Check youtube for the order of the steps)

Once the sauce has thickened and the salted egg yolks have been mixed evenly throughout the sauce, turn off the heat

Step 6. Add the batter-coated prawns to the sauce at the very last minute.
Toss the prawns five times and you’re done and ready for plating.

How to serve it

There’s no question, salted egg shrimp should be served with steamed white rice as it just soaks up the rich sauce and balances out the whole dish perfectly.

However, I do have one exception which is a fusion twist on the salted egg prawn recipe and that is through the use of spaghetti. When I tasted this for the first time, I couldn’t believe how magical this dish tasted. Match-made in heaven for sure. I shared it with my family and it’s now become of our favorite ways to eat salted egg prawns.

See my Salted Egg Prawn Spaghetti recipe here.

Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Prawns Recipe to Die For

Yield 2

Author Hunger Hugs

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

45 Min