I say “summer-y” because the addition of fresh corn makes these shrimp wontons absolutely pop with flavor and adds just a hint of sweetness to balance out the spice of the white pepper. Being from Minnesota (a.k.a. the breadbasket of America), I’m pretty proud of the corn we grow. During the summer, there’s nothing better than roasting some fresh corn out on the grill and then my family will brush each piece with a soy dressing. SO incredibly good!
Since I’m currently in a 12×12 foot teeny, tiny, grill-less apartment, roasting summer corn is pretty much out of the question. Luckily, there are about a bajillion other ways to enjoy fresh corn. One of my favorite ways is in dumplings or wontons. If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between dumplings and wontons are, your search ends here! Wontons are generally wrapped in the shape that is shown in the pictures above, the wrapper is square (unlike dumpling wrappers which are round) and thinner, for a faster cooking time than dumplings. Wontons are also usually filled less, since they are often accompanied by noodles or some sort of soup and aren’t supposed to be a main dish (although I often eat them for an entire meal haha).
Though it may seem daunting, making wontons is actually the simplest process ever. I was able to make about 50 wontons in less than 1 hour, which is pretty great considering you can easily freeze wontons and reheat them later for a delicious snack or meal. I know that some people like to make their own wonton wrappers, but to be honest, store-bought ones are actually just as delicious and way more convenient. Growing up in a Taiwanese-American household, frozen wonton wrappers were a common sight in my fridge. You can easily get wonton wrappers at any sort of Asian grocery store that might be around you, or visit a store similar to Whole Foods that carries an ethnic food section.
This recipe does call for some ingredients that might be out of the ordinary if you aren’t a hoarder of Asian spices like me. You’ll need soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, shallots, white pepper, and green onion (a.k.a. scallions). The first two you might also need to visit a specialty store to find, but the rest should be carried by whatever local grocery store you like to go to. If you’ve got a food processor, amazing! You can go pour yourself a glass of celebratory wine or juice because your work just got cut in half. If you don’t, well, you can join the club. Luckily, there isn’t too much to chop 🙂
Let’s get started!
SUMMER-Y SHRIMP WONTONS | Makes 48 medium sized wontons
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 lb of raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1 stalk of scallion, finely sliced
- 1 tsp of minced ginger
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1/4 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1 pack of 48 wonton wrappers (usually one package of those will do!)
DIRECTIONS
- Combine scallion, ginger, corn and shallots together into a large mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle in salt and mix thoroughly with the aromatics.
- Finely chop raw shrimp until pieces are small and begin to stick with each other (this is necessary so the filling will hold together and not break apart in the wontons).
- Add chopped shrimp in with the aromatics and mix well.
- Pour in soy sauce, sesame oil and sprinkle in white pepper, mix again.
- Fill a small bowl with cold water to use as “glue” to help the wonton wrappers stay closed
- Hold the wonton wrapper so that it looks like a diamond, and not a square in your hand.
- Add about 1/2-1 tsp of filling to the center of the wonton wrapper.
- Dip your finger into the cold water and dab water along the edges of the wrapper.
- Then, fold wrapper in half and press down on edges to seal. You should now have a shape that resembles some sort of triangle.
- Take the two corners that make up the base of the triangle and fold them towards you until they are able to meet in the middle, seal with more water.
- At this point, you can freeze all the wontons by placing them on a baking tray and freezing until solid before transferring them to a pyrex or gallon freezer bag.
- Alternately, you can bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook wontons for eating immediately. Since they are lightly filled, they should take only 8-10 minutes to cook, but every stove is different, so make sure to check if wontons are cooked fully before eating.
Enjoy!
dumplings&donuts 