Regional classics · Hangzhou
Longjing Tea Shrimp
龙井虾仁 — River shrimp stir-fried with freshly steeped Longjing tea leaves — the most elegant dish in the Hangzhou canon, and the one that pairs the tea hills with the…
The shrimp are hand-shelled, velveted in egg white so they stay glassy, and finished with Longjing leaves plumped in hot water. The flavour is quiet — tea bitterness against shellfish sweetness — which is why it succeeds in Hangzhou’s star kitchens and fails almost everywhere else.
It was reportedly served at the state banquet level, and it remains the dish Hangzhou chefs are judged on. Order it at Ru Yuan or Gui Yu Shan Fang, in the hills where the tea itself is grown.
Where to eat it
- Ru Yuan (two Michelin stars)
- Gui Yu Shan Fang in the Longjing hills
- Jin Sha at Four Seasons Hangzhou
Named tables that do it well
- Ru Yuan — Michelin 2 Stars
- Jin Sha — Michelin 1 Star
- Long Jing Cao Tang — Michelin 1 Star
- Gui Yu Shan Fang — Michelin 1 Star
Routes that eat their way here
More dishes to know
- Xiaolongbao (小笼包)
- Hairy Crab (大闸蟹)
- Dongpo Pork (东坡肉)
- West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce (西湖醋鱼)
- Squirrel Mandarin Fish (松鼠桂鱼)
- Stinky Mandarin Fish (Chou Gui Yu) (臭鳜鱼)