How to Make XO Sauce

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parts

Ingredients

1 Soaking the Dried Seafood

2 Processing the Ingredients

3 Cooking the XO Sauce

Other Sections

Tips and Warnings

Things You'll Need

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References

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: July 21, 2020 Tested

XO sauce might be one of the most luxurious condiments you could ever make. Although the name refers to XO cognac, it actually contains rice wine. You'll need a lot of other ingredients, too, but they create a complex sauce that's full of savory umami. Since a little goes a long way, you can spoon XO sauce onto rice, noodles, or veggies for a quick flavor boost.

Ingredients

• 5 ounces (140 g) of dried shrimp
• 5 ounces (140 g) of dried scallops
• 10 garlic cloves
• 3 large shallots, quartered
• A 3 in (7.6 cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 to 4 fresh Thai red chili peppers, roughly chopped
• 2 cups (470 ml) of vegetable oil
• 3 ounces (85 g) of Jinhua ham, country ham, serrano, or bacon, minced
• ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of chicken broth or stock
• ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of (24 g) brown sugar
• 2 pieces of whole star anise
• 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 4 g) of ground Thai chilies, optional

Makes 4 cups (950 ml) of sauce

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Soaking the Dried Seafood

1. 
   1
   Put dried shrimp and dried scallops into separate bowls. Get out 2 microwave-safe bowls and put 5 ounces (140 g) of dried shrimp into 1 of them. Then, pour 5 ounces (140 g) of dried scallops into the other bowl.

   • Don't use fresh or frozen seafood since they don't have the bold umami flavor that dried seafood has.
2. 
   2
   Fill each bowl with 2 inches (5.1 cm) of boiling water. Bring a kettle or pot of water to boil and carefully pour the boiling water into the bowl of shrimp and the bowl with scallops. Keep pouring until the water covers the seafood by 2 inches (5.1 cm).

   • The hot water softens the seafood so they rehydrate faster.
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3. 
   3
   Soak the shrimp and scallops for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Leave the bowl of seafood to soak for up to 2 hours. If you want to prep this the night before you make the sauce, place the bowls in the refrigerator and soak them overnight.

   • If you refrigerate the soaking seafood, place lids on the bowls so they don't make your fridge smell fishy.
4. 
   4
   Pour out all but 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water from the scallops. Set a colander or fine mesh strainer in the sink and slowly pour the scallops into it. Try to leave a few tablespoons of water in the bowl so you can use it to steam the scallops.

   • If you accidentally pour out all of the water, just pour 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water into the bowl with the scallops.
5. 
   5
   Cover the scallops and microwave them for 3 minutes on high heat. Put a microwave-safe lid or plate on the bowl of scallops and set it in the microwave. Then, microwave the scallops until they're soft.

   • To heat the scallops on the stove, set up a steamer basket inside a pot with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of simmering water. Steam the scallops for 3 minutes or until they're soft.

   Tip: To test if the scallops are steamed enough, take 1 and pinch it between your fingers. The scallop should flake apart easily if it's done. If not, microwave them for another 30 seconds and check again.
6. 
   6
   Drain the scallops and shrimp separately. Once the scallops are soft, pour them back into the strainer or colander so the water drains into the sink. Transfer the scallops back to the bowl they were in. Then, drain the shrimp and put them into the bowl they were just in.

   • Keeping the seafood separate makes it easier to process them perfectly. If you process them together, your sauce will have a pasty texture.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Processing the Ingredients

1. 
   1
   Transfer the scallops to a food processor and pulse them 7 times. Put the softened scallops into a food processor and secure the lid. Press the pulse button 7 times so the processor shreds the scallops into tiny strands. Then, spoon the scallops back into the bowl.

   • If you pulse the scallops too long, they'll become thick and pasty which is hard to turn into a silky XO sauce.
2. 
   2
   Put the shrimp in the processor and pulse it 10 times. Pour the softened shrimp into the processor. Snap the lid into place and pulse the shrimp 10 times or until it's coarsely chopped. Then, scrape the chopped shrimp back into the bowl.

   • There's no need to clean out the food processor bowl between processing the seafood.
3. 
   3
   Place the garlic, shallots, ginger, and fresh Thai chilies into the processor. Peel 10 garlic cloves and 3 large shallots. Toss the whole garlic cloves into the processor and cut each shallot into 4 pieces before adding them. Roughly chop a 3 in (7.6 cm) piece of peeled ginger and add it along with 2 to 4 roughly chopped Thai red chili peppers.

   Tip: If you don't want to make the XO sauce too spicy, use just 1 or 2 fresh Thai red chili peppers.
4. 
   4
   Pulse the aromatic ingredients 12 to 15 times. Secure the lid and pulse the mixture until all of the ingredients are finely chopped. Stop pulsing before you purée the mixture or the texture of the XO sauce will be off.

   • You may want to stop and scrape the sides of the food processor bowl if ingredients aren't getting chopped.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Cooking the XO Sauce

1. 
   1
   Mince 3 ounces (85 g) of Jinhua ham. It's pretty hard to find Jinhua ham outside of China, so it's fine to use country ham, serrano, or bacon instead. Set the meat on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to carefully mince the ham.

   • For a pescetarian sauce, leave out the ham or substitute mojama, which is cured tuna loin.

   Tip: To make it easier to mince the ham, stick the meat in the freezer for 10 minutes. Then, move it to a cutting board and mince the hardened meat.
2. 
   2
   Fry the ham in oil over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour 2 cups (470 ml) of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or heavy pot on the stove. Turn the burner to medium-high and add the minced ham once the oil shimmers. Stir the ham frequently and cook the meat until it's crispy.

   • You could also use peanut or canola oil if you don't want to use vegetable oil.
3. 
   3
   Add the scallops and fry them for another 3 to 5 minutes. Scoop the strands of scallops into the hot oil with the ham and stir well so the scallops don't stick to the pan. Fry the mixture until the scallops turn a pale gold color.

   • If the oil spits a little while you're stirring, wear oven mitts to protect your hands.
4. 
   4
   Stir in the shrimp and fry the mixture for 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chopped shrimp to the oil and stir it every few minutes. Keep frying until the shrimp and scallops become rich golden brown.

   • Scrape the bottom of the pot when you stir to prevent the seafood from sticking and burning.
5. 
   5
   Add the aromatic mixture and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Spoon the finely chopped aromatic ingredients into the oil with the seafood. Cook the mixture until the shallots, ginger, and peppers turn golden brown.
6. 
   6
   Stir in the dried chilies and Shaoxing wine. If you'd like the XO sauce to be even spicier, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 4 g) of ground Thai chilies. Let the chili powder cook for about 30 seconds so you can smell it. Then, pour in ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry to deglaze the pan.

   • Stir the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits that may have cooked onto it.
7. 
   7
   Add the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and star anise. Pour in 1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of chicken broth or stock along with ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of soy sauce. Then, stir in 2 tablespoons (24 g) of brown sugar and 2 pieces of whole star anise.

   • The oyster sauce and soy sauce contain a lot of umami compounds to give the XO sauce its rich, savory flavor.
8. 
   8
   Simmer the uncovered sauce for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep the lid off of the pot and adjust the burner until the sauce is bubbling steadily. Stir it occasionally as it thickens and oil rises to the surface.

   • The liquid in the sauce evaporates to create thick XO sauce that's got a slightly chunky texture.
9. 
   9
   Turn off the burner and cool the sauce before you use or store it. Let the XO sauce cool completely before you put it into storage containers or add it to a meal. Look for the whole star anise and remove them before you store the sauce so no one accidentally bites into them.

   • Refrigerate the sauce for up to 1 month. To prevent the sauce from drying out, push down the solids in the container so they're covered with the oil.
   • Toss a spoonful of XO sauce with steamed broccoli, charred green beans, noodles, for instance. It also adds a unique flavor to sliced peaches or nectarines.
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Tips

• If you're having trouble finding ingredients, check your local Asian market or buy the ingredients online.
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• Since XO sauce uses so many seafood products, it's difficult to make a truly vegetarian sauce. If you don't mind eating fish, you can simply leave out the ham for a pescetarian-friendly XO sauce.
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Things You'll Need

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Microwave-safe bowls
• Strainer or colander
• Food processor
• Dutch oven or large pot
• Spoons
• Knife and cutting board