XO Sauce

Hong Kong·Hard·2 hours 15 min active + 10 min resting

Hong Kong dried-seafood luxury chili paste — dried scallop, dried shrimp, Jinhua ham, chili, garlic, shallot in oil.

Early 1980s Hong Kong, attributed to the Spring Moon dining room at the Peninsula and rival Tsui Hang Village. 'XO' borrows the cognac classification — a marketing wink for 'top shelf,' not a flavor link. Spread to dim-sum trolleys by 1986.

A 100g jar at Lee Kum Kee runs ~$8; Spring Moon's house jar at the Peninsula sells for ~$70. The premium is 30% scallop vs. 5% — count the gold flecks before paying.

Brick-red oil over a coarse confetti of golden scallop shred, pink shrimp, dark ham, chili flake. Scallop sweetness first, ham salt second, chili warmth last. Crunchy, oily — a teaspoon flavors a whole plate of fried rice.

Each ingredient is rehydrated, hand-shredded, then fried in oil at 130°C — too hot scorches the scallop, too cool leaves it leathery. The oil itself is the carrier; you spoon it on, not stir it through. Quality scales with scallop count: Spring Moon's house jar runs 40% scallop by weight.

Variations

Spring Moon (Peninsula) house jar — top-tier, 40% scallop; Lee Kum Kee jarred (mass-market, 8% scallop, more chili); Macau-style with chouriço swapped in for ham at A Lorcha and Fernando's.

On the Palate

Where XO Sauce sits in the Chinese flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

80g (2 ⅞ oz)Dried Scallop

dried, soaked 4h, shredded

60g (2 ⅛ oz)Dried Shrimp

dried, rinsed

80g (2 ⅞ oz)Jinhua Ham

finely diced

4Chili Pepper

dried, stemmed, finely chopped

180ml (¾ cups)Vegetable Oil

How it's made

4 steps · 2 hours 15 min active + 10 min waiting

1
60 min
Rehydrate 100 g dried scallops + 100 g dried shrimp in warm water 1 hr; shred fine.
2
15 min
Mince 100 g Jinhua ham + 8 garlic cloves + 6 shallots + 30 g dried chili.
3
60 min
Slowly fry everything in 500 ml oil over low heat 1 hr until deeply golden and aromatic.
Watch out
Fry on the gentlest heat, low and slow — the oil should barely tremble; too hot and the dried scallop scorches to bitterness before it turns deep amber-gold.
4
10 min
Cool; jar with oil covering; refrigerate up to 2 months.
Watch out
Jar with the oil fully covering the solids — that oil cap seals out air and is the flavor carrier you spoon on later; any bits poking out will go rancid.