Detailed Explanation of the Production Methods of Shrimp Paste and Its Products

Shrimp paste is one of the traditional shrimp foods of China and the coastal regions of Southeast Asia. Its rich nutrition and unique flavor are deeply favored by diners at home and abroad.

(1) Raw material shrimp for shrimp paste production The shrimp used for shrimp paste are several species among the planktonic crustaceans, of which the main varieties are:

(1) Acetes chinensis;

(2) Acetes japonicus;

(3) mysid shrimp;

(4) gammarid shrimp. The salt used for shrimp paste production must be water-washed edible salt that complies with national hygiene standards.

(2) Shrimp paste production process The modern fermentation method is currently the most scientific production process. Its process flow is as follows: raw material impurity removal and washing -> salt addition by ratio and grinding into paste -> temperature-controlled fermentation -> oil and paste separation -> packaging and sterilization.

(3) Shrimp paste products Shrimp paste generally contains about 30% salt, so it can only be used as a condiment, and in very small amounts. Using shrimp paste as a raw material to make a series of ready-to-eat shrimp paste products with relatively lower salt content will greatly expand their range of use. The raw material shrimp paste will also therefore increase in value. Common shrimp paste products include shrimp paste beans, shrimp paste peanuts, assorted shrimp paste, spicy shrimp paste, and five-spice shrimp paste in soft and hard cans. Shrimp-flavor salt, shrimp-flavor pickles, etc. A brief summary of their production processes is as follows.

1. Shrimp paste beans: Wash soybeans and dry them, then stir-fry until half-cooked and set aside. Put vegetable oil into a stainless steel jacketed steam pot and heat it, add spices and shrimp paste. Boil the soybeans and a certain proportion of water. When the soybeans have fully absorbed water and swollen, quickly add umami agents, antioxidants, and thickeners and mix thoroughly. Remove from the pot at 85 degrees C, and while hot fill into retort pouches or glass bottles. After exhausting, sealing (capping), sterilizing, and cooling, they become soft or hard canned shrimp paste beans. The general shelf life of soft cans and hard cans is half a year and one year respectively.

2. Five-spice shrimp paste: Put peanut oil into an aluminum pot or stainless steel pot and heat it, add spices and a small amount of chili powder and fry briefly, then add shrimp paste and quickly stir-fry until the shrimp aroma is released, then add an appropriate amount of water to dilute the saltiness to a palatable level, then add refined salt, umami agents, aroma enhancers, and stabilizers. After mixing evenly, while hot fill into laminated retort pouches, place in a microwave oven to heat and exhaust and seal, then place in the microwave oven again for secondary sterilization until the pouches bulge.

3. Shrimp-flavor salt: Fully mix shrimp paste dry powder, seaweed powder, and edible salt at 1:1:2 on a double-helix mixer, then fill into bags at 100 grams per bag on a filling and sealing machine, then place in a microwave oven for sterilization. After cooling, they can be boxed and shipped from the factory. This salt is a low-sodium, iodine-rich, moisture-proof, long-shelf-life type.

4. Shrimp-flavor pickled cucumber: Wash small cucumbers with clean water, and soak the whole cucumbers in shrimp paste for 20 days, stirring once each day. At that time, take them out and place them in shrimp oil to wash off the shrimp paste on the surface, drain the shrimp oil, put them into plastic bags and seal, and quickly sterilize in a microwave for 5 seconds.