Tag Archives: shrimp

Ha gao – Ton Kiang

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Ha gao Ton Kiang

Steamed shrimp dumplings wrapped in a translucent wheat and tapioca starch wrapper.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco

Har gow is one of my favorite dim sum items because it’s delicious and the least scary looking thing on the roving carts (or trays in the case of Ton Kiang). I didn’t like a lot of the dim sum at Ton Kiang, but I did like these. They were filled with HUGE chunks of shrimp and had a great flavor! The wrapper was on the thick side, but it wasn’t tough or dry.  Still a favorite! (Thank god Ton Kiang didn’t ruin this one for me.)

Green tea Ton Kiang

Complimentary green tea.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Jiu cai bao – Clement Restaurant

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Jiu cai bao Clement Restaurant
These Chinese chive dumplings are first steamed, then pan-fried. They are usually filled with a mixture of chives, shrimp, water chestnut, and often pork.  The wrapper is made from wheat starch.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I love the nice, crispy texture created from pan-frying these delicious dumplings.  Depending on the ratio of chives in the filling, these can sometimes have an intense taste.  The chive flavor in Clement Restuarant’s jiu cai bao was on the mellow side.  Simply delicious!

Chiu chao fun guo – Clement Restaurant

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Chiu chao fun guo Clement Restaurant
Steamed dumplings filled with ground pork, shrimp, chopped peanuts, and garlic chives.  The wrapper is made of de-glutenized wheat flour, tapioca flour, and a corn or potato starch.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I wasn’t a fan of these dumplings.  They were quite large and the wrapper was too thick, glutinous, and easily torn.  It’s always sad when you lose the dumpling filling because of a weak wrapper.  This dim sum was weak, indeed!

Shark fin dumplings – Clement Restaurant

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Shark fin dumplings Clement Restaurant
Lye water dough (shiu mai wrapper) filled with a mixture of chopped shrimp, pork fillet, shark fin, spring onion and Chinese parsley. The dumplings are then steamed.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

So California Assembly Bill 376 would ban the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins in the state of California.  It’s suppose to be heard before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Monday, August 15th in Sacramento.  We’ll see what happens!  I have to admit that I’ve never wondered if I’m eating real shark fin in dim sum.  For some reason, I always assumed it was imitation shark fin.  I know that’s ignorant of me, so I’m curious to see what happens with AB 376.  I definitely don’t agree with the practice of shark finning, but would this bill also ban shark fins that were harvested without finning?  My assumption would be YES, but I’ll have to read more about the debate. 

Regardless, I don’t know if I can even distinguish the shark fin flavor or texture in these dumplings from any other similar dumplings.  In that regard, I probably wouldn’t be affected by the shark fin ban but opponents of the bill cite cultural reasons.  Sounds fishy to me (pardon the pun)!

Pork shiu mai – Clement Restaurant

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Pork shiu mai Clement Restaurant
Steamed dumplings with seasoned ground pork, chopped shrimp and Chinese black mushroom wrapped with a thin sheet of lye water dough.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

These suckers were large compared to other shumai I’ve had! I’m not sure why I always order siu mai though. They don’t have much flavor compared to other dim sum and the filling tends to be really fatty.  But they do soak up soy and chili XO sauce really well and I enjoy the combination of the filling and dough textures. Since dim sum tends to be really cheap on Clement Street in San Francisco I think I’ll keep ordering them, lol!

Gambas al ajillo – Esperpento

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Garlic shrimp Esperpento
Shrimp sauteed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes.
Esperpento, San Francisco

When you order gambas al ajillo at any Spanish restaurant, make sure they bring you plenty of bread to soak up that delicious, garlicky oil. I actually used the lemon this time around and it freshened up the olive oil in a wonderful way. This dish acts as my equalizer to compare tapas restaurants, and Esperpento did a pretty good job.  The quality of the shrimp wasn’t the best, but the flavors were great! I always like when the shrimp tails are still attached because it adds flavor and it’s fun to use my hands – so good job Esperpento.

Sangria Esperpento
Sangria is mandatory when eating tapas! Ok, maybe not but I’m never gonna turn down the opportunity to order some. Esperpento’s wasn’t overly sweet, very drinkable.