This congee builds a stock from its own scraps: the prawn heads go into hot oil first and give up a bright orange shrimp oil, which becomes the base of the cooking liquid. Dried scallops are soaked ahead and go in early, salted duck egg near the end, and the shellfish itself only in the final minutes so it stays plump.
Cantonese · Soup
Claypot Congee Loaded With Prawns, Abalone and Scallops
Shrimp heads are fried for their orange oil before the rice goes in, and the seasonings stop at salt, sesame oil and white pepper so the shellfish stays loudest in the bowl.
- Prep25 min
- Cook45 min
- Serves4
- LevelMedium
Ingredients
| 20 | prawns , shelled, heads reserved |
| 6 | abalone , sliced |
| 100 g | dried scallops , soaked in hot water ahead of time |
| 2 | salted duck eggs , shelled and snipped |
| as needed | leafy greens , cut into short sections |
| as needed | ginger slices |
| as needed | rice , rinsed |
| as needed | sesame oil and ground white pepper |
| to taste | salt, no MSG or chicken bouillon needed |
Method
- Prep everything first: shell the prawns and keep the heads, slice the abalone, soak the dried scallops in hot water, and snip the shelled salted eggs with scissors.
- Heat oil in a pot, add the ginger slices and prawn heads, and fry until the oil turns orange and smells of shrimp. Live prawns give the best oil.
- Pour in boiling water; boiling, not cold, is what draws the colour out of the heads. Let it roll a moment, then fish the heads out.
- Transfer to a claypot if you have one and bring to a boil, then add the rice and cook, stirring now and then.
- After a while, add the soaked scallops along with their soaking liquid and keep simmering.
- When the rice is nearly done, add the salted duck egg and season with salt only. The seafood brings its own sweetness, so no extra flavour enhancers.
- When the congee is close to ready, add the prawns and abalone slices.
- As soon as they are nearly cooked through, stir in the greens and switch off the heat. The residual heat finishes them.
- Drizzle in sesame oil, add a grind of white pepper, and serve straight from the pot.
Notes
- Cut the greens small and coarse; big strips stay raw in the middle and go slimy on reheating.
- The salted egg and the shellfish both carry salt, so season late and lightly.
Ratios and technique checked against L.iиg' ྀི on Douguo (海鲜砂锅粥). The method here is written by Stellaok; the photograph is the source kitchen's, credited on the image above and linked back to the page it came from. No recipe text is reproduced.