The Live Shrimp from 天天鱼港 TianTian Seafood (Dalian)
Tian Tian Seafood restaurant, in Dalian, is your typical Chinese seafood restaurant. Since Dalian is by the ocean, specifically the Yellow Sea. The abundant seafood coupled with its relatively warm waters, Dalian fish and shrimp is available year round.
My family friend, Mr. Li, took us to Tian Tian seafood, located in the heart of Dalian. Varieties of fish, shrimp, and vegetables highlighted the meal.
But the drunken shrimp is what stood out. This shrimp, still alive, was kept in a bowl with a lid. Inside, there was alcohol, to keep the shrimp drunk or sedated. Of course, I wasn’t keen on trying one. But with all the table peer pressure, I had to.
Just staring at the bowl of jumping shrimp inside made me a bit squeamish. Yes, I know squeamish… Have you ever ate anything that was alive just seconds before you put it in your mouth? I wasn’t a big fan of un-shelled or shelled shrimp, that was cooked. And now, not just raw shrimp, but live shrimp. I really did not want to eat this.
Once the lid was off, the shrimp jumped around with excitement, or to try to escape. As the shrimp breathed fresh air, they jumped higher and higher. I think they felt that they could taste freedom. Little did they know about my horrific intentions.
Funny thing is… I wondered if they could still swim, since they were drunk. Perhaps I needed another large swig from the Chinese White Wine – Mao Tai. Anyways, after another shot of this special edition and government only Mao Tai, I reached for a slimly critter. Ama Ebi, Japanese for raw sweet shrimp, not bad and something I usually ordered. But this animal was much much different. I watched my dining companions ripe the heads off and quickly yank off the legs and the shell in quick motion. So, I snatched a one, surprising wasn’t too slimy, since the alcohol would have kept it slime-free. As I tried to tear apart the little crustacean, it was much tougher than I thought. With the innards almost dripping out, I tried not to think about what I was doing. It was almost like I was killing a rat, when I was in my fraternity. I tried hard not to look at it. Though not slimy, it was still slippery. I had to work hard to pull the little legs off and the shell. I always thought I liked using my hands while I eat – like fried chicken and bbq ribs, but seafood was a whole ‘nother story.
Finally, I had the shrimp how I wanted him. Without looking, I quickly dipped him in a wasabi soy mixture and popped him in my mouth. Similar to Ama Ebi, the taste was masked well, almost too well, by the wasabi. After a few chews I swallowed him and took another gulp of the Mao Tai to wash it down. Usually, I’d need something to help wash Mao Tai down, but the shrimp was more nasty in this case.
As I reached for the lazy susan to find something else, other than shrimp, my friends looked on and asked if I wanted another … I smiled and said… I’ll let you guys enjoy it.
I hope you guys enjoy the video of the jumping shrimp.
Live Shrimp from The Thirsty Pig on Vimeo.
What to Order: The Drunken Live Shrimp What not to Order:
Rating 2 Pigs Price Range 3 $/¥/NT
天天鱼港, 大连中山区人民路10号, 0411-82801118 Tian Tian Seafood Harbor Restaurant, Ren Ming Road, No. 10, +86 411 82801118
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