Haitai – Bbasea Crispy Shrimp Chips

I feel like shrimp based snacks are one of those things that is very much rooted in culture. Growing up with them, it’s just a part of our potential options of snacks. It wasn’t until I got a bit older that I realized just how foreign it was or some people, and how weird it was for people who had never had it before. It’s one of the cool (and sometimes scary) things about growing up in such a diverse area – something new and novel for me is just another day for someone else. What a time to be alive.

While shrimp chips are not a new thing for me, this particular snack is. The packaging seems to lean in on the 2.2mm thing hard, so I’m assuming thin chips is a big thing? The shrimp chips I’ve had tend to be thick or big, but also airy and puffy so that they almost melt on the tongue. I’m willing to bet these will too, but looking at them I’m wondering if they are this thin because they are denser, or they are also just as airy and they just found a way to use less materials.

Perhaps a big reason that people inexperienced with this are afraid of this is likely the smell. Boy do these smell fishy. Even for someone like me, it’s quite strong. Not everyone is ready to be snacking on the deep sea right off the bat.

These are quite crispy, and very airy. Similar to normal shrimp chips, these kind of melt in your mouth. Because these are paper thin, they melt pretty fast, which is good or bad depending on what you’re looking for. You can actually hear it melting as you let it sit on your tongue. I generally prefer my snacks to have substance, so while it’s refreshing to have something so light and airy like this, I prefer something heartier.

These taste of prawn, or shrimp or whatever you want to call it. It’s very distinct in it’s flavour, and if you’ve ever had shrimp chips you’ll know the taste. If it’s your first time, be prepared for something that’s very fishy. They are lightly seasoned with some salt and pepper, but the flavour pales in comparison to the shrimp-ness of it all. I’m honestly trying to wrack my brain on how to describe the flavour of these to someone who is uninitiated in the ways of shrimp chips. After eating a few I start to get to taste of cuttlefish as well.

I like these for what they are. My only complaint, and it’s more of a personal one, is that I’m left feeling empty despite finishing off the entire bag in one sitting. I prefer to feel a sense of satisfaction after polishing a bag of snacks, but this didn’t give me that. That makes it a winner for some, but not for me. I also wouldn’t recommend this as a starter snack for people looking to get into shrimp chips or crackers. The flavour is pretty strong and may be off putting to the newbies. This is more of an expert mode.