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Recipe of the Week: Shrimp Wontons with Hoisin Dipping Sauce

3 min read
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Chef Loretta Paganini

By the time one of my good friends on the island telephoned to invite my husband and I to a going away party to celebrate the end of the season, most of my refrigerator and freezer where already cleaned out and my pantry was already bare. As I asked her what I could bring to the get together, I kept thinking of what I could make with the few items I had left at hand. “An appetizer would be great,” she replied. “No problem, what is your menu?” I asked her. “We are keeping it light and simple, we are grilling fresh fish and vegetable and ice cream for dessert, see you soon” she said. As I opened my freezer to take inventory of what was left, I kept thinking of her words “Light and simple.” Well this is it I thought, a simple recipe with the few shrimp left in the freezer, the condiments I had in the cupboard and the wonton wrappers that I purchased at the local grocery store. Best of all, I was able to make the wontons ahead of time and fry them the day of the party. I felt like this was a winning recipe and was feeling very proud of myself and very clever for coming up with it. After plating them on a nice platter and sprinkling them with a few extra green onions and putting the sauce in a cute little bowl we left for the party. As we arrived at our friend house, we were warmly greeted by her saying “I hope you made your barbecue meatballs, you know how everyone loves them.” Well, you just can’t win all the time! Makes about 24 wontons. (Chef’s tip: To prevent the wonton wrappers from drying out, cover them with plastic wrap.)

1 package wonton wrappers

Egg white, beaten with one teaspoon of water

Cornstarch, as needed

Vegetable oil for frying

Filling:

1 pound large shrimp, cleaned, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ginger, grated

1/4 cup green onion, minced

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl. Use your hands to blend the mixture.

Lay a wonton wrapper on a flat surface and brush with the beaten egg white. Drop one tablespoon of the filling onto the center of the wrapper. Fold the wonton in half, corner to corner, to form a triangle.

Press around the filling to knock out any air bubbles, press the seam together to seal. You can leave them this shape or continue on by brushing the two side points with beaten egg white. Lay your index finger in the center so you have something to press up against, then fold the twi sides into the center, slightly overlapping, and press the dough against your finger with your thumb to form a tight seal. Lightly dust the filled wontons with cornstarch to keep them from sticking together and place them on a cookie sheet.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep heavy saucepan to 375F on a deep-fry thermometer. Add a few of the wontons to the oil and cook, turning them a few times to get them nicely browned all over. Carefully lift them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and onto a paper towel-lined platter to drain. Repeat with remaining wontons. Serve with hoisin dipping sauce.

Hoisin Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, serve with shrimp wontons.