Salt and pepper seasoning enhances the flavor of your favorite dishes. It’s not your ordinary mix of salt and pepper, but it’s a spice mix made with 6 simple ingredients.
You can enjoy it on any type of meat or vegetable dish, including fish, chicken wings, mushrooms, or tofu. Use it as a topping, coating, marinade, and many more amazing ways!
What Is Salt And Pepper Seasoning?
It’s more than just your regular salt and pepper mix. This salt and pepper seasoning is a common sprinkler in Chinese takeouts that adds zing to the overall flavor.
Popular in the UK, It is commonly sprinkled on fried dishes such as chicken wings, crispy fried fish, and shrimp.
So, what is it made of? Well, there are several variations of this seasoning, but the most common ingredients used are salt, pepper, Chinese five spice powder, and chili flakes. Some variations also add caster sugar, garlic powder, ground white pepper, and ground ginger.
In my recipe, I use the following ingredients:
- Sichuan Peppercorn
- Fennel seed
- Shrimp Skin
- White Sesame
- Salt
- Chinese Five Spice Powder
- Paprika (optional for a slightly spicy taste)
The ingredients are mixed and crushed, while some are toasted on low heat. This spice mix is stored in a sealed spice jar or airtight container to preserve the flavor and quality.
How To Use Salt And Pepper Seasoning
There are several ways to use salt and pepper seasoning. Generally, it is used as a topping or coating for fried dishes. You can sprinkle it on fried or baked chicken wings, crispy fried fish, spring rolls, prawns, or shrimp.
For vegan or vegetarian dishes, it also works perfectly on fried tofu and fried oyster mushrooms. When your fried dish is ready, simply sprinkle the seasoning on top and give it a good shake to mix the seasoning evenly on all sides.
It can also be added to a marinade or batter for chicken wings or fish. Add this seasoning to your soup or stew dishes. If you have plain chips at home, add a dash of this delicious mix to have a different flavor to your bag of chips.
Here are some of my favorite salt and pepper recipes:
- Salt And Pepper Potatoes
- Salt And Pepper Tofu
- Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
- Salt And Pepper Shrimp
- Salt And Pepper Fish
- salt and pepper pork
- salt and pepper pork chops
- salt and pepper squid
- Salt And Pepper Chip
How To Store Salt And Pepper Seasoning
Salt and pepper seasoning is best stored in a spice jar or any sealed container. A sealed container is important to keep air out and preserve its flavors, especially when making large batches that need longer shelf life. Generally, this spice mix can be kept for six months to a year as long as it is stored properly.
Aside from proper storage, it is best to keep it away from direct sunlight and heat. Store it in a location at room temperature.
Alternatives And Suggestions For Salt And Pepper Seasoning
There is no one variation of salt and pepper seasoning since you can add your own spice according to your desired flavor. Play around with your mix, whether you want it to be sweet, spicy, earthy, or peppery. Here are some suggestions worth trying:
- Chili flakes or powder: If you want to add heat to the mix, you can add chili powder or flakes. Cayenne pepper is also perfect for spicy lovers but may need to be controlled if you don’t want it to overpower the mix.
- Sichuan Peppercorn: Sichuan peppercorns give you a tingling or numbing sensation and a fruity aroma. If you don’t have Sichuan or Szechuan peppercorns, you can use black peppercorns instead. However, black peppercorn does not give the same effect and will only give you hot and pungent flavors. For an earthy taste, you can also add white pepper powder.
- Fennel seed: Fennel seed has a hint of sweetness and licorice-like flavor. If you don’t have fennel seed, you can substitute it with star anise, cumin, or licorice root.
- Dried mini shrimps:Shrimp skin adds a delicious, briny, and seafood flavor. You can choose to omit this if you don’t have it or if you want a vegan-friendly version.
- White sesame: White sesame seeds add a nutty and mild sweetness to the mix. If you have black sesame seed, it will still give you that nutty taste but with a bit of bitterness.
- Chinese Five Spice Powder: Chinese Five Spice Powder is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, and bay leaves. It basically has a licorice-like flavor with a hint of sweetness and spice. You can make your own with my recipe here.
- Paprika: Paprika varies in flavor, from mild to sweet and spicy. In this recipe, we add paprika for extra spiciness. The flavor will depend on the type of paprika you use. If you get the sweet version of paprika, then you won’t get that spicy flavor.
What You Need To Make Salt And Pepper Seasoning
After deciding which ingredients or alternatives to use, you can start making your own salt and pepper seasoning. Gather these basic kitchen items and your chosen spices. You only need a pan to toast the spices and a rolling pin or mortar and pestle to crush the spices into fine powder. Here’s what you need:
Kitchen Items
- Airtight container or spice jar
- Sieve
- Pan
- Spatula
- Rolling pin and chopping board or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 50g Sichuan peppercorn
- 20g Fennel seed
- 15g dried mini shrimps
- 20g White sesame
- 100g Salt
- 15g Chinese five spice powder
- 15g Paprika (optional for heat)
How To Make Salt And Pepper Seasoning
Making this delectable salt and pepper seasoning is easy. You only need to toast and grind into fine powder the large ingredients, including Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seed, dried mini shrimps, and white sesame. Once you have these ingredients into a fine powder, you can mix them with the other fine ingredients, including salt, Chinese five spice powder, and paprika. Watch me make this seasoning through my short tutorial guides on Instagram and Tiktok.
In a pan, toast 50g Sichuan peppercorn on low heat.
Then, add 20g fennel seed, 15g dried mini shrimps, and 20g white sesame.
Continue toasting and stirring until lightly brown.
Next, take out the mix from the pan and let it cool. Once it cools, use a rolling pin and chopping board (or mortar and pestle) to grind it into a fine powder.
Use a sieve to separate the fine powder from the large granules.
Continue crushing the separated large granules to make them into fine powder. Next, put 100g salt in a pan and toast on low heat until it becomes slightly brown.
Afterward, add 15g Chinese five spice powder and 15g paprika (optional for heat).
Lastly, add the sieved powder and mix all ingredients well.
Store it in an airtight container and use it to make salt and pepper chicken wings, salt and pepper crispy fried fish, and salt and pepper shrimp.
How To Make Salt And Pepper Seasoning
Equipment
- Airtight container or spice jar
- Sieve
- Pan
- Spatula
- Rolling pin and chopping board or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 50 g Sichuan peppercorn
- 20 g Fennel seed
- 15 g dried mini shrimps
- 20 g White sesame
- 100 g Salt
- 15 g Chinese five spice powder
- 15 g Paprika optional for heat
Instructions
- In a pan, toast 50g Sichuan peppercorn on low heat.
- Then, add 20g fennel seed, 15g dried mini shrimps, and 20g white sesame.
- Continue toasting and stirring until lightly brown.
- Next, take out the mix from the pan and let it cool.
- Once it cools, use a rolling pin and chopping board (or mortar and pestle) to grind it into a fine powder.
- Use a sieve to separate the fine powder from the large granules.
- Continue crushing the separated large granules to make them into fine powder.
- Next, put 100g salt in a pan and toast on low heat until it becomes slightly brown.
- Afterward, add 15g Chinese five spice powder and 15g paprika (optional for heat).
- Lastly, add the sieved powder and mix all ingredients well.
- Store it in an airtight container and use it to make salt and pepper chicken wings, salt and pepper crispy fried fish, and salt and pepper shrimp.
