Longjing Shrimp (龙井虾仁) — Dragon Well Tea-Poached Shrimp

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Longjing xia ren (龙井虾仁, Dragon Well shrimp) is one of the most elegant dishes of Hangzhou cuisine — peeled freshwater shrimp briefly poached in water steeped with Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea, then tossed in a simple sauce with the tea leaves themselves. The dish is a study in the Jiangnan aesthetic: the freshest possible primary ingredient, a single defining secondary ingredient (tea), minimal intervention, and a flavour that is simultaneously delicate and complex. It is a springtime dish — Longjing tea is a pre-Qingming harvest tea (明前茶, ming qian cha, tea harvested before the Qingming festival in early April), and the freshwater shrimp season coincides with the new tea harvest.

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