Shrimps – I just love them and have been wanting to make these appetizers for some time. I make egg rolls occasionally but the thought of using egg roll wrappers to enclose shrimp and deep frying them seemed like a great idea. As I suspected they were absolutely delicious and fun to make.
A perfect appetizer to celebrate the New Year!
Firecracker Shrimps with Two Chili Sauces - Sweet and Hot
- tail-on shrimp, shells removed, deveined and nicked (see instructions below) I bought wild caught Blue Shrimp 15 count which were the perfect size to wrap in half an egg roll wrapper – I bought a pound and was able to make 15 appetizers
- egg roll wrappers
- oil for frying (I used vegetable)
Marinade:
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. ginger, grated
- 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. sweet chili sauce (see recipe below)
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
Combine the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili sauce and cornstarch. Marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes.
For the cornstarch paste combine 1 tbsp. cornstarch and 1/4 cup water.
To nick the shrimp use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to score the inside of the curve 3-4 times. This lets you straighten out the shrimp so you don’t have a short, curly roll – just don’t cut all the way through.
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Wrap each shrimp in an egg roll wrapper half triangle, try to make it as tight as possible. Look at the picture below and start to wrap on the left corner leaving the tail outside of the wrapper. Fold over the top corner and continue to wrap. Brush some cornstarch paste on the wrapper corner and seal.
Thai Sweet /Hot Chili Sauce:
This recipe came from Serious Eats but I didn’t like the color and I wanted to kick up the flavor, so I added Sriracha to taste.
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. water, divided
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch (I would cut this back to 1 tbsp. plus 1 tbsp. water as it was very thick)
- 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. red jalapeno peppers, finely minced (leave seeds and membrane in for hotter sauce)
- 2/3 cup sugar (use less for
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1-2 tbsp. Sriracha to taste for color and heat
Combine 2 tbsp. water and cornstarch; set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the 1 cup of water, garlic, peppers, sugar, vinegar, salt and Sriracha. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Stir cornstarch mixture to re-combine. Whisk into simmering sauce and cook until thickened about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat, allow to cool and either use immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Firecracker Sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2-1 tsp. chili flakes (I used Aleppo Chili which has a medium heat) I plan to do a post on all of the different chili peppers available (fresh, powder and flakes)
- 2 tsp. soy sauce (not dark)
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp. Sriracha sauce
- 5 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. water
Heat just enough oil to cook the minced garlic and chili flakes, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring continuously until the sauce reduces. Use drizzled over the shrimp as I found dipping the shrimps were a little “too much heat”. Can be refrigerated, just bring to room temperature before serving.
http://cookingwithauntjuju.com/2018/03/03/firecracker-shri…weet-chili-sauce/
Marinade ingredients…
Marinating the shrimps for 30 minutes before frying…
Wrapping each “straightened” shrimp in half an egg roll wrapper…
Using my wok to deep fry a few shrimps at a time…
Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce – I did add a couple tbsp. of Sriracha to give it some color and more heat…
Much better after adding Sriracha sauce…
The sauce is a little thick so it was better to spoon it on top of the shrimp – cut back the cornstarch and water mixture…
Firecracker sauce ingredients for dipping or drizzling…
I love the way the tails stand up after frying…
Some like it hot. Me, for one. 🔥🍤
Me too Gail – love the heat and the shrimps deep fried. Last splurge before the end of the year 🙂
Funny you should say that. I just turned some fettuccine alfredo into shrimp carbonara by adding shrimp, bacon, and hot pepper flakes. Oh my goodness! 🍃🍤🌶🧀🥓
I bet it was delicious!
The only problem with such tasty crisp appetizers is that no one can stop at one… Love the marinade, and the two different dipping sauces.
Also got my eye on these little “trays” (not sure what to call them) you’ve served the shrimp on. Need to look for them. 🙂
These are big shrimp – one or two is all you will need! I bought 12 Libbey Amuse Bouche ceramic serving spoons. They are great vessels for these shrimps 🙂 I just checked on Amazon and they are currently unavailable! webstaurantstore.com and restaurantware.com carry appetizer spoons.
Thanks for the info. I’ll keep an eye for these spoons when they’ll be available. 🙂
the firecracker sauce sounds great. egg roll wrappers? i think we call them spring rolls:) i’ve always wondered why they were called egg rolls in the US? surely there’s no egg involved?:-) cheers S
Egg rolls are American – I think of spring rolls with the clear, see-through wrappers that showcase what is in them. You can buy vegan egg roll wrappers (no eggs) or with 🙂 So, there can be egg in the wrappers!
I bet that the crunch and then the juicy shrimp taste is fantastic. Great appetizer idea.
You nailed it Ron – you also get a little heat from the marinade 🙂
mmm. . . these look perfect for a new year’s celebration. I really like the presentation with the small plates surrounding the bowl. Just looking at the photo makes me hungry.
They were so good Sheryl – I’ve been wanting to make these for a year now and I am so happy I did. We are a shrimp loving family and deep fried – what can I say 🙂
Wow, Judi, I’ll share these with my son who loves to cook!
They are excellent Mary and you can use any “dipping sauce”. I’ve already had a request to make them again…
Yummy! Thank you for sharing!💗
Fantastic!!!😍
Yes they were! A good appetizer for all the shrimp lovers 🙂
Look at that perfect appetizer! I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from eating these. 😀