Simmered Shrimp adds a bright vermilion color and savory flavor to your traditional Japanese New Year feast called Osechi Ryori. Symbolizing long life, this shrimp is always served with the heads and shells on for a grand presentation at the table.
Why Do Japanese Eat Shrimp for the New Year?
Shrimp with bright vermilion color brings beauty into the Japanese New Year feast, Osechi Ryori. This shrimp is always served with head and shell on for the “grand” look on the table.
The reason why shrimp is used in Osechi Ryori is not just because of its beautiful looks, but it also signifies old people because shrimp has a mustache (We call “hige” (mustache in Japanese) but they are actually antennae) and is hunchbacked. So eating shrimp is believed to impart a long life symbolizing a long beard and bent back.
3 Tips to Make Successful Simmered Shrimp
1. Devein the Shrimp with Shell and Head-on
Devein the back of the shrimp with a skewer. The vein runs right along the back. Insert the tip of the skewer sideways about ½ inch down from the head of the shrimp, and pull the skewer tip up towards you.
This will lift up the vein and you can pull off the vein with the skewer or with your fingers. If the vein is broken, then insert again a bit lower towards the tail. If you can’t find the vein, then don’t worry about it.
2. Do Not Overcook Simmered Shrimp
Overcooked shrimp is not delicious and will end up dry and tough. It’s important to cook the shrimp just right. For the standard black tiger shrimp, you only need to cook them for 4 minutes, unless it’s much smaller or larger than the typical size. So keep in mind that you will only need to cook between 3.5 to 5 minutes for the shrimp.
Make sure to place all the shrimp in the pot around the same time, so all of them finish cooking at the same time as well. If you spend too much time lining up shrimp in the saucepan, the first shrimp might be overcooked or the last shrimp is undercooked (depends on when you start timing).
3. Strain/Filter the Cooking Liquid for Simmered Shrimp
If you are not a coffee drinker, you may not keep a coffee filter around. But if you do, I highly recommend using a coffee filter or paper towel to filter the cooking liquid when you strain it.
The cooking liquid contains fats and protein from the shrimp (despite the meticulous skimming while cooking). As you will be soaking the shrimp in the cooking liquid overnight, the well-filtered clean cooking liquid will help the shrimp look beautiful as a final result.
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Simmered Shrimp
Ingredients
- 5 black tiger shrimp (4.4 oz, 125 g; with shells and heads on)
- ½ cup sake
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (I used Awase Dashi, made with a combination of kombu and katsuobushi; in a pinch, substitute a Dashi Packet or Dashi Powder)
- 2 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (you can use regular soy sauce)
Instructions
Before You Start…
- Please note that this recipe requires soaking time of 4 hours or overnight. If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, I recommend preparing it up to 1–2 days before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Shrimp
- With the shells and heads on, devein 5 black tiger shrimp (please follow step 2 of my tutorial on How to Devein Shrimp). Then, quickly rinse under cold running water. With a pair of kitchen shears (or knife), cut off the pointy tip of the head and the antennas. Finally, trim the tips of the tail at an angle for better presentation (optional).
To Simmer
- In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup sake and 2 Tbsp mirin. Turn on the heat to medium and bring it to a boil to let the alcohol evaporate.
- Add ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) and 2 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce and bring to a boil again.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Place the shrimp in the pot, bending and holding the backs with chopsticks or a pair of tongs to form the shape of the Japanese hiragana character “つ”. Work quickly and add all the shrimp to the pot around the same time so the cooking time will be similar.
- Simmer for 4–5 minutes over low heat. Do not overcook. While it‘s cooking, use a fine-mesh skimmer to skim the scum and fat off the surface of the simmering liquid.
- Once it’s cooked, immediately transfer the shrimp to a container and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl, preferably through a coffee filter or super fine-mesh strainer. This removes the unwanted protein and fat so the final dish will look cleaner and prettier. Discard the filter and let the cooking liquid cool.
- Once the cooking liquid is completely cool, pour it over the shrimp. Do not pour while the liquid is still hot, as this will overcook the shrimp. Cover and soak for 4 hours or overnight.
To Serve
- Serve it cold or at room temperature for Osechi Ryori.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 30, 2016. It’s been republished in December 2021.
Just ate some delicious shrimp. Thank you for the recipe! However, now that the shells are all put away, I’m left with quite a bit of cooking liquid. It seems a shame to just toss it, when it’s so full of flavour! Do you have any uses for this? Other things to cook in it? Or maybe as a soup base or some sort of dipping sauce?
Hi Jonathan! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish.
The leftover sauce can be used as a soup base, or it can be combined with potato or taro to make Nimono, or it can be combined with eggs to make Chawanmushi, and so on.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/simmered-taro/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/chawanmushi-savory-steamed-egg-custard
We hope you like it.
We bought some Gulf white shrimp the other day and they are huge! This recipe is a perfect way to enjoy them. Thanks!
Hi mjskitchen! We hope you enjoy Simmered Shrimp!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe.🙂
Thank you. Recipes very clear and easy to follow.
Hi Martha! We are so happy to hear the recipe was clear and easy to follow.
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Hi Namiko san, My wife usually makes osechi ryori every year, but this year she has covid and is unable to. Thanks to your recipes, I have made some of the great foods that she usually makes keeping the tradition for my kids. Thanks to your very easy to understand instructions, I can get the essence of the food and keep the tradition around another year until she gets better.
Many thanks to your hard work that went into making these great recipes! I know it is time consuming and difficult to get the video and great pictures as you do. You must have some experienced help behind the scenes!
Hi David! Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your story with us. Your story touched our hearts.💞 We hope your wife gets better soon.
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipes!
Hi Nami. What type of dashi do you use for this recipe?
Hi Michelle! I apologize for my late response. I use awase dashi (katsuobushi + kombu) for almost all recipes unless I state otherwise. 🙂
Aloha Nami,
Just a note of thanks for your amazing recipes.
Your recipes are spot on! I have tried various dishes from your site and everything so far turned out delicious, perfect flavor. Your videos are also pleasing to watch, so simple and elegant.
My mother-in-law was from Japan and she was a fabulous cook. Her food and presentation was better than most Japanese restaurants. Unfortunately, she passed away and we never learned how to prepare all the wonderful food – especially oshechi ryori which took her days to prepare.
I’m so happy I can find almost anything I look for on your site. I recommend you site to my friends, too.
Warmest wishes from Hawaii to you and your family!
ありがとうございました
Gayle Isono
Hi Gayle! Thank you for your sweet comment, which warmed my heart. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother in law. Since you had tried her Osechi, you can adjust my oserchi recipes similar to hers. 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful New Year with Osechi Ryori. 🙂
Greetings Nami-san
This dish was a hit with everyone at dinner last night
Eight people – in all
I better find a sake bootlegger in India !
Thank you for introducing me to a dish I can make in advance for guests
And one with
Maximum taste and visual appeal ! 😀
Sujatha
I’m glad to hear this dish was well-taken by your guests! Your feedback means so much to me. Thank you for your kind feedback, Sujatha! xoxo
Last year I made this and used the coffee filter. This year I just used the fine metal skimmer and it surprisingly worked just fine and was a lot quicker. It’s a good tip that you can use it to strain the liquid at the end!
Hi Lion! Glad to hear your fine mesh skimmer did a great job! Thanks for sharing your tip with us! xo
I feel I should have asked this sooner, since I have made this dish two years now. Haha. Do we eat the shrimp whole? Or take the meat out from inside the shell? If so, is there a way to do this that does not make us look like barbarians? ????
The first couple times I ate this I pulled the meat out with my fingers. It was messy, but it was just me and my boyfriend at home, so we had no one to impress. Lol. The last time I had it, I just ate the shell and everything. I did not attempt to eat the head, though. I know that when frying, they become brittle enough to eat rather easily (we had some sweet shrimp sushi just the next day and the heads were served fried on the side), but I wasn’t sure how that would go with just briefly simmering them. What is the best way to eat this?
Hi Lion! First, remove the head off (already barbarians!), and then peel the skin off. And eat the small shrimp inside… It is messy food, and as a child, I often pretended that I do not want to eat so my dad will peel it off and pass me that I have to eat. LOL!!!! We eat the shell when it is cooked for a loooong time and it gets soft or like you said deep fried. But it can depend on the shrimp and how soft the shell is.
Hi Nami-san, I just read the label on the frozen shrimp I am defrosting tonight in order to prepare this recipe tomorrow and I noticed it’s labeled as boiled sweet shrimp. Can I still use them for this dish? I am worried that they will be tough since they’re already cooked. Please advise. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Hi Janet! I am sorry I couldn’t get back to you in time (I was traveling back from Taiwan and was busy preparing for the New Year….). How did it turn out? If it’s boiled, yes, I would be worried that the meat gets tough by overcooking it. You have to use raw shrimp to simmer (so it can absorb more flavors). Happy New Year!
This shrimp recipe looks delicious but again you did not note the size of the shrimp/prawn to be used. It would be very helpful should you do add this to your recipe since small size shrimp would be overcooked. Keep up the great blog.
Hi L. Fujitani-san! Black tiger shrimp is usually 25 g each, so five would be 4.4 oz or 125 g. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Made the shrimp and they were delicious! Can the sauce be re-used for other dishes?
Hi SY! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! In general, for food safety reason, it’s not recommended to re-use. If you really want to re-use I would recommend to reheat the sauce before using for something else. 🙂
Hi Nami, i want to double up the shrimps, is it means i should doubleup the sauce?
Hi Kenken! Most likely yes, you should double the sauce so that shrimp will be soaked/covered with the sauce on both top and bottom side without flipping in between. 🙂
Hi Nami! I live in the bay area as well (east bay) and was wondering where do you shop for your Japanese groceries? Do you know of some good Japanese grocery stores that are affordable? Thank you!
Hi C! I shop at Nijiya in San Mateo often. Usually Japanese produce/products are about the same price in most of local Japanese grocery stores, slightly cheaper than Amazon. 🙂
I like the story you tell about Osechi Ryori – I don’t know much about my german heritage about New Year, so I like hearing at least what other’s have as traditions.
I want to wish your family, the JOC team and your friends a fantastic rise to the coming New Year! I’m looking forward what 2017 will bring to everyone.
Also, please forward my comment to Reese and Mark and that I wish them a very special start for the New Year with their new life! 2017 will be a magical transition for them so I wish them all the best!
Hi Leo! Thank you for reading the Osechi Ryori post. In Japan, the new year is really the biggest holiday (not Christmas or others), so we have so many cultures and history behind the food and customs. 🙂
I wish you and your family a happy 2017 too! Thank you for sharing all the pictures of my recipes you cooked. They make me super happy and it’s so inspiring to see someone is cooking my recipes in different parts of the world. Thank you for your support all the time.
I let Reese know about your message. 🙂 Happy New Year!!
Happy 2017 to you & your loved ones, Leo!! It’s been a great pleasure having your support the past years when we were running Season With Spice. I am just happy that we can continue our connection here through JOC. Mark & I are excited about the new addition to our family. 3 more weeks to go! Mark shares the same German heritage with you, but he knows more about Asian celebration of New Year instead:P We’re looking forward to Chinese New Year next:) Thanks again for everything. Here’s wishing you a fantastic start to the New Year with new adventures & experiences!