What dried prawns are
Dried prawns, often sold as dried shrimp, are small shrimp that have been salted or boiled and then sun-dried or machine-dried until hard and shriveled. They are a pantry staple across many cuisines, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Indian (especially Goan and Konkan), and Latin American cooking. The flavor is salty, savory, and strongly of the sea. One home cook describes it as somewhere between anchovies and parmesan, which is a fair shorthand: a little goes a long way.
Preparing dried prawns
Most recipes follow the same preparation steps:
- Sort and rinse. Pick out any bits of shell, grit, or debris, and give the prawns a quick rinse.
- Soak. Cover with warm water for roughly 10 to 30 minutes until they soften. Smaller prawns need less time; larger ones may need longer. Soaking times vary by product, so go by texture.
- Drain and, if desired, chop. Save the soaking liquid if the recipe uses it, but taste it first, since it can be very salty or gritty. Strain through a fine sieve or cloth.
- Dry well. For frying, pat the prawns dry so they crisp rather than steam.
Some cooks skip soaking for dishes that cook in liquid for a long time, such as soups, or they dry-fry or toast the prawns first to deepen the flavor.
Dried prawn recipes to try
Goan-style prawn kismur. This is a coconut salad often served with rice. Fry sliced onion with cumin seeds, garlic, and green chilies in coconut oil, then add chili powder, turmeric, a souring agent such as kokum or tamarind, grated coconut, and the soaked dried prawns. Season with salt (taste first, as the prawns are salty) and cook briefly until combined.
Dried shrimp sambal. Grind or pound soaked dried shrimp with chilies, shallots, garlic, and a little shrimp paste or tamarind if you like, then fry in oil until fragrant. Serve with rice or noodles. Malaysian and Singaporean recipes for udang kering use similar ideas.
Fried rice with dried shrimp. Stir-fry soaked and chopped dried prawns until aromatic, then add cooked rice, eggs, scallions, and a splash of soy sauce. Because the shrimp are salty, hold back on salt.
Stir-fried greens. Fry a small spoonful of dried prawns with garlic, then toss in greens such as bok choy, kale, or green beans.
Soups and broths. Dried prawns add depth to soups, congee, and noodle broths. Vietnamese cooking uses them in seafood-based soups. Simmer a small handful in the broth and strain, or leave them in.
Jawla-style dishes. “Jawla” is a regional (Konkan and Maharashtrian) term for tiny dried shrimp, often cooked with onion, coconut, and spices, or ground into a chutney. If you are searching for a jawla recipe, the kismur method above is a good starting template; use the tiny dried shrimp and adjust spices to your own recipe source.
Rice dishes. In Latin American cooking, dried shrimp is added to rice dishes such as arroz con camarón seco.
Substitutes for dried shrimp
If you cannot find dried shrimp or prawns, options include:
- Fresh or frozen small shrimp, finely chopped and sauteed until fragrant (the flavor will be milder and less salty).
- Shrimp paste or shrimp powder, used sparingly.
- Fish sauce or anchovies for a salty, savory seafood note.
- Dried scallop or dried anchovies (common in Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking).
- Dried oysters, which have their own strong flavor; see our dried oyster recipe page.
None of these is an exact match, so taste as you go. For vegetarian dishes, a little miso, soy sauce, or dried mushroom can supply umami, though not the seafood flavor.
Buying and storing dried prawns
Look for prawns that smell clean and briny, are evenly colored, and are not oily, slimy, or musty. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from light, or follow the package directions. Many cooks keep opened packs in the refrigerator or freezer to protect flavor and quality. If dried prawns smell off, appear moldy, or feel damp or sticky, discard them.
Drying shrimp at home
Some home cooks dry their own shrimp, for example from wild-caught catches, by salting or boiling and then air-drying or dehydrating (see dehydrated or freeze dried for how the two drying methods differ). Seafood is a high-risk food, and safe drying depends on freshness, salt levels, temperature, and drying time. There is limited tested home guidance for drying shrimp specifically, so if you want to try it, consult your national food safety authority or university extension service first, keep shrimp cold until preparation, and consider buying commercially dried prawns for dependable results.
Are dried shrimp good for you?
Dried shrimp are a concentrated source of protein and flavor, and they are typically used in small amounts. They are usually also high in sodium because of the salt used in preserving. Shellfish is one of the most common food allergens, so anyone with a shellfish allergy should avoid them.
People with high blood pressure are often advised to watch sodium intake. If you have hypertension or another health condition, ask your doctor or dietitian whether dried prawns, fresh prawns, or other shellfish fit your diet and in what amounts. Rinsing or soaking may reduce some of the surface salt, but it is not a guaranteed way to lower sodium.