Thai Dancing Shrimp Salad
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The Dancing Shrimp Stall - Bangkok, Thailand
There’s nothing fresher than still alive!
Dancing Shrimp in Bangkok, Thailand
The Thai name of the dish is Goong Ten (กุ้งเต้น), which translates to “dancing shrimp.”
The cute little translucent shrimp are the main event – and they’re still living.
Goong Ten (Dancing Shrimp) is a traditional Isaan food that originates from the region of Thailand along the Mekong River.
People in this region have an affair with things that are prepared raw; Beef, pork, shrimp, fish, and other protein meats that are cooked elsewhere in the world can be found in their naturally squirming or bloody form in Isaan.
Many of the regional dishes are mixed with fiery chilies, salty fish sauce, earthly herbs and generous squirts of sour lime juice. This exciting dressing is what coats the raw meats and gives them superior flavor.
Though Thai street food in Bangkok comes with overwhelming supply, dancing shrimp can be challenging to locate. The dish is not normally served at restaurants but rather must be purchased to-go and eaten along the side of the street or in a local Thai market.
In Bangkok, dancing shrimp are almost exclusively sold from traditional double basket carrying carts. One side is filled with the arrangement of spices and herbs while the other side shelters the precious shrimp, hammocked in a cloth so they remain alive and can’t escape.
Preparing Thai Dancing Shrimp Salad - Goong Ten
The Preparation of Dancing Shrimp
The vendor quickly took to action, putting a double scoop of the freshwater shrimp into a metal mixing bowl. Separated from the lump grave of the other shrimp, the ones in the metal bowl came to life and started dancing their hearts out.
To prevent the shrimp from escaping the dish preparation, the vendor had to cover the bowl with a plastic bag. I could still hear the sound of metal being tapped, the ricocheting of energetic shrimp jumping around in search of an escape route.
After the shrimp, the vendor threw in a couple dollops of chili flakes, a squirt of fish sauce, a splash of lime juice and finally a handful of herbs that included mint leaves, finely sliced lemongrass, saw leaf herb and some slivered shallots.
He took a metal spoon and instead of heavily mixing the ingredients together, he softly folded the shrimp together with the spices, marinating them alive!
The vendor opened a styrofoam package, placed a little piece of plastic at the bottom and swiftly transferred the intricate mixed dish without letting any shrimp out.
The Final Product - Goong Ten (กุ้งเต้น) Dancing Shrimp
Eating Dancing Shrimp (กุ้งเต้น)
After watching the vendor stir up his speciality with precision, my excitement began to race.
I couldn’t wait for my first bite!
I cautiously opened the container and peeked into the scene that looked like a mosh pit. At this point the shrimp were probably dancing due to the abundance of chilies coated on themselves.
My first bite was that of sheer pleasure, the kind of incredible flavor that paralyzes your body and puts you into a state of flavor overjoy. Each individual shrimp was a little burst of brine that merged with the other contrasting parts of the dressing and the herbs to create a remarkable taste.
Dancing shrimp are often served with sticky rice or can also be eaten wrapped in a bite sized betel leaf – which is how I enjoyed it.
To this very day, Goong Ten (กุ้งเต้น) remains one of my favorite Thai dishes around!
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Ew! You should have a warning on here for vegetarians
I don’t recall seeing this dish when I visited Thailand, but then again I wasn’t looking for it. Glad you enjoyed it!
Leslie recently posted..Photos: The East Village survives Hurricane Irene with flooding, fallen trees and a dead rat
Ha, thanks Leslie! Yes, I should have warned that it’s not exactly vegetarian friendly. Goong Ten is not the most common dish, I only really see it sometimes around local markets in Bangkok and it’s often covered in a cloth to keep the shrimp cool – so it can be a challenge to locate.
I am up for trying new foods while traveling, but I think I would have to draw the line at eating something still moving. I’ll just watch the videos of other people doing it
The Travel Chica recently posted..First Week in Ohio
Watching videos also works! Thanks for checking this out Stephanie!
Hmmm. As much as I love street food, I am quite squeamish. I don’t know if I could eat something that was still alive. Is it possible to order a completely dead non-dancing version of this dish?
Barbara – The Dropout Diaries recently posted..Anchors Aweigh!
Hey Barbara,
After a few minutes the shrimp tend to all pass-away, so maybe if you wait a few minutes you’ll get the non-moving version!
I do love reading your posts about your exotic food experiences, but I probably would refrain from eating dancing shrimp myself. It sounds like I’m missing out on some “flavor overjoy”, but I’m happy looking at the great photos.
Thanks Cathy! Due to the fact the shrimp dance around in your mouth, does make this dish about bizarre – but it does really does produce that flavor overyjoy!
I have to confess that the only food I eat ‘alive’ are oysters. But, maybe, if I closed my eyes and didn’t think too much, I might give the dancing shrimps a try, seeing that I’m so fond of seafood.The worst I ever had to eat was a raw sheeps eye, so shrimps look a lot more apetizing by comparison.
Wow, raw sheep eye, that sounds pretty chewy and slimy. How was it? That’s pretty cool, I know you’ll try all kinds of weird food too and I know you’d like dancing shrimp!
I don’t normally get squeamish about food (I am Asian, after all….) but that seriously freaks me out. My cousin made me eat baby live shrimp and it literally does feel like the shrimp is dancing in your mouth!!!!
Jenjenk recently posted..Visiting Japan: Gift Giving Customs
Yup – it’s a pretty interesting feeling to have things jump around in your mouth as you’re eating them! Where did you eat those other baby live shrimp? Were they prepared in a similar dish?
I can usually get behind all your food posts, but this one? Made me seriously shudder. Ewwwww…..
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Photo Essay: London
Ha, sorry Christy!
i ate live anemone once, in japan. i am done with eating live things now – i just don’t like that instant death in my mouth feeling. bravo to you!!
wandering educators recently posted..myTab.co – How they’re flipping the travel industry around
Wow, that’s pretty cool too – I’d love to try some live anemone sometime!
I am speechless. You can still see them squirming!
adventureswithben recently posted..Adventures in Alaska
They are fresh!
This looks amazing. I’ll definitely look for this dish the next time I’m in Thailand.
Nancie recently posted..Travel Photo Thursday, September 15th, 2011: A Coffee and Tea Kind of Morning in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Great Nancie – I’d love to hear how you like it!
I’ve had something similar to this in Korea – squirming octopus – moving around even when it was in my mouth!
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Iguazu Falls |Argentina & Brazil | Part 2| Travel Video
Yah, I’ve seen a video of that – it look awesome too! How did you like it?
Wow, looks delicious. I definitely would be up to giving this a try. Anything tastes good with chilies, fresh lime, and fish sauce whether it is alive or not.
Traveling Ted recently posted..Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica: Nature photo essay
Haha, you got that fully right Ted – that combination of diverse flavors together can season anything!
I must agree with you, it’s one of my fav thai food too… You can find many shops with aquariuma filled with these tiny shrimps at talat huay kwang..
Mick recently posted..Bird Nest Soup. Bangkok, Thailand.
I was overdue to sample…
Hey Mick, great to hear that you also like goong ten. Thanks for sharing that they are available at Talat Huay Kwang, I’ll try to check that out soon!
I just got back from a trip where it was all about the seafood. We ate ceviche, which is almost raw shrimp, but nothing moving entered my mouth:)
Marina K. Villatoro recently posted..Picture This! Market Vendors – Leon, Nicaragua
Mmm, I also love ceviche – sounds really good right now!
Wow, that looks yummylicious and spycilicious! I also eat fresh shrimps but this one seems so good. I want to try that one, I wish I could go to Thailand. Thanks for sharing this informative and delicious post!
Genesis Hill recently posted..Installing Hardwood Floors
No problem Genesis, hope you can make it to Thailand soon to try some dancing shrimp!
MarkL Yeah–I’d probably try these on your recommendation, but probably need a cold beer first (and after!).
For a quick, delicious and cheap (but dead) meal, try my on-the-road ceviche–all you need is a knife and a bowl.
http://www.50plusandontherun.com/2011/10/ok-i-like-ramen-as-much-as-next-girl.html
NLM recently posted..Sunday Haiku IV
That looks awesome! I’m always willing to eat all forms of seafood and ceviche is one of my favorites!