These crispy shrimp cheeks are the latest addictive snacks to hit S’pore

If you’re a serious snack enthusiast (or y’know, took a stroll along the snack aisle in the supermarket in recent years), you might have noticed a new product popping up on shelves: Shrimp cheek

Shrimps got cheek meh?

Well, we know that fish cheek — those tiny bits of meat just below the eyes of the fish — is considered a delicacy.

On the other hand, shrimp cheek is simply the lower part of the shrimp’s head (each shrimp yields one “cheek”), without any of the internal organs like the brain and roe which are high in cholesterol.

Now, even without these unhealthy bits, shrimp cheeks are still packed with that shrimpy/umami flavour that many people enjoy.

And consumers are loving it (“Crispy shrimp cheeks are 🔥 🔥!!!” said this Reddit threadstarter).

If you’re looking to try some shrimp cheeks, check these out.

Monori’s Crispy Shrimp Cheek comes in three different flavours: Original, Spicy, and Grilled Seaweed.

And while it is tasty on its own (we do recommend eating it on its own if you want to savour its shrimpy goodness), it also goes well with drinks (especially beer) and other dishes.

The Crispy Shrimp Cheek (Original) was our top favourite. As its name suggests, it was crispy and boasted an intense shrimp flavour that was not too overpowering, so it didn’t feel too jelak after two handfuls.

We enjoyed the Crispy Shrimp Cheek (Spicy) as well. It had a nice fiery kick that lingered for a short while — perfect for those who can take a little bit of heat.

The Crispy Shrimp Cheek (Grilled Seaweed) had a slight taste of grilled seaweed. To be honest, we felt that the flavour was a bit too mild for us, but some might like it because it doesn’t overpower the shrimpy flavour.

These three flavours come in a 25g pack — perfect for those who need something small to snack on when that bout of kuchisabishii (lonely mouth) hits suddenly.

The Original and Spicy flavours also come in 105g packs for those who want to share between friends (tho’ honestly, why would you?).

A very common experience when eating shrimp cheeks is that once you have gone through the entire pack, you might find yourself with a lot of leftover “legs”. You can spoon them directly into your mouth or simply scatter them over your rice for an extra dose of umami.

In fact, Monori says that its shrimp cheeks go very well with food.

These snacks can be served as toppings on food. Add them to your salmon bowl to up the seafood quotient or perhaps scatter them over your salad to give it a savoury kick.

Equally tasty: Crispy Squid & Crispy Salmon Skin

If shrimp cheeks aren’t your thing, Monori also offers larb-flavoured Crispy Squid and Thai-style salted egg yolk-flavoured Crispy Salmon Skin. And both are excellent.

If you are a fan of squid, then you might be glad to know that Monori’s larb-flavoured Crispy Squid is made from real squid.

Larb is a meat salad that is well-loved in Thailand because it offers an explosion of tastes — spicy, savoury, meaty, and tangy — all in one bowl.

In that regard, Monori did a pretty amazing job in replicating that range of flavours.

Popping the Crispy Squid into my mouth, I could taste the savouriness of the squid meat before my tongue started tingling from the spice. It ended with a refreshing tangy note.

According to Monori, the Thai-style salted egg yolk flavour is the unique selling point of its Crispy Salmon Skin.

It is more pronounced and intense than the creamy, curry leaf infused salted egg flavour typically found at zichar stalls. It also packs a spicy punch. We highly recommend pairing this with a cold drink.

Both the Crispy Salmon Skin and the Crispy Squid are available in 60g packs.

Monori’s range of seafood snacks (made with authentic seafood, by the way) is available at all major supermarket chains Cold Storage, FairPrice, Giant and Prime and e-commerce sites (Amazon, Redmart and Shopee).

It can also be found at the following supermarkets:

1. Good Luck Supermarket
2. I-tec Supermarket
3. U Stars Supermarket

Visit Monori Seasnack Singapore’s Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.

Thanks to this sponsored piece by Topseller Pte Ltd, this writer got to try shrimp cheeks.

Unless otherwise stated, all images courtesy of Monori Seasnack Singapore.