If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a lover of overly salty things. Really savory, salty things. Especially ferment-y, savory, salty things like shrimp paste. It’s one of those extremely flavorful and pungent condiments that lends the kind of depth to a dish that a few extra pinches of salt can never achieve. A little shrimp paste goes a long, long, long way. My mom taught me that. It’s insanely good brushed over leftover roast pork or fried in a wok with cabbage and dried shrimp. Or better yet, fold it into a bit of butter, slather it over chunks of cabbage, and roast off until the charred cabbage and buttery shrimp paste flavors meld into wonderfully salty bites.
Editor’s note: Our go-to shrimp paste is this one from Lee Kum Kee.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Step 2
In a small bowl, combine 4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, 2 garlic cloves, grated, 2 tsp. fermented shrimp paste, and ¼ tsp. sugar. Using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula, squish everything together to make a shrimp paste compound butter. Set aside.
Step 3
Remove and discard the rough outer leaves of ½ large head green cabbage. Cut the half head of cabbage through the stem into even wedges. Drizzle each piece with 1 Tbsp. neutral oil, making sure to coat all the exposed leaves. In a small bowl, mix together ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. MSG, and ⅛ tsp. freshly ground white pepper. Evenly season the cut sides of the cabbage with the mixture.
Step 4
Heat a 12" cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add the remaining 2 Tbsp. neutral oil. When the oil is shimmering, reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the flat side of each cabbage wedge until charred, about 3 minutes on each side.
Step 5
Remove the pan from the heat and slather the flat sides of the cabbage wedges with the shrimp paste compound butter. Pour in the water around the edge of the pan (you don’t want any water to hit the crispy cabbage leaves). Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the cabbage until the center is tender and fully cooked through and the blade of a sharp knife pierces through the cabbage with little to no resistance, about 25 minutes.
Step 6
Transfer the cabbage to a platter. Pour the pan drippings over the wedges and serve immediately.
Recipe notes
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