This easy 5-step shrimp wonton recipe gives you juicy and restaurant-style wontons that are filled with shrimp, carrots, and corn. It is seasoned to a tee with pantry-friendly ingredients such as cooking wine, salt, and black pepper. Enjoy this as an appetizer, snack, or light lunch and pair it with a sweet or savory dipping sauce.
A Look At Shrimp Wontons
One of the most popular dim sum dishes is wonton (馄饨). It is a type of Chinese dumpling loved for its irresistibly chewy wonton wrappers that are loaded with a pillowy filling. Wontons feature a wide array of seasoned fillings, from ground pork to seafood and vegetables.
In this recipe, I share my family’s 5-step recipe of shrimp wontons. You will enjoy its soft shrimp filling with carrots and corn that melts in your mouth. It is an explosion of flavor with the added seasonings, such as cooking wine, salt, and black pepper.
It is super easy to make at home with my easy-to-follow steps which you can probably do in just under 30 minutes. The steps to expect are chopping, mixing, assembling, and steaming. The only hard part is needing to make more because you simply can’t stop eating it!
Where To Get Wonton Wrappers
The filling is easy to make from scratch with my ingredient suggestions or alternatives you choose. It is the wonton wrappers that you need to prepare in advance since some grocery stores may not have them. Wonton wrappers or skin are widely available in Asian supermarkets and are typically placed in the refrigerated section.
If you are not able to buy wonton wrappers, make your own with only three main ingredients: egg, flour, and cornstarch. Follow my easy guide on How To Make Authentic Wonton Wrappers. The recipe steps involve mixing, kneading, resting, and shaping the dough into square-cut wonton wrappers.
Tips And Suggestions For The Shrimp Filling
There are countless ways to alter the taste according to your liking. Change the ingredients with the best alternatives or add more for a different flavor. I share below useful tips for my recommended ingredients, as well as additional ingredient suggestions that you can consider adding to the filling.
- Shrimp: You can use frozen shrimp that are already cut and peeled. If using fresh shrimp, prepare it by peeling the skin, removing the tails, and deveining it. Now, the key to a soft filling is finely chopping the shrimp until it becomes like a fine paste. Having it paste-like also makes it easier to scoop out and place in the wonton wrapper. Aside from a soft texture, the shrimp also imparts the wonton’s orange hue when cooked. If you choose to substitute this, you will lose the orange outcome of the wonton wrapper. Should you decide to swap shrimp with other seafood options, you can use white fish with a mild taste such as cod and halibut. If you want to add minced pork, check out my other wonton recipe, Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup for suggestions.
- Carrots: The carrots should also be finely chopped for easy scooping. You can add other finely chopped vegetables as well, such as cabbage, green onions, green beans, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and ginger.
- Corn: Corn adds a milky sweet taste. Use frozen or canned corn kernels. You don’t need to chop these into smaller pieces anymore.
- Cooking wine: Chinese cooking wine imparts a slightly sweet and briny taste. If you don’t have cooking wine or Shaoxing rice wine, swap it with dry sherry, meat or vegetable broth, red wine vinegar, or alcohol-free wine.
- Salt: Enhance the flavor with a bit of salt. Use sea salt, kosher salt, or table salt.
- Black pepper: Add heat, woody, and piney flavors with black pepper powder. You can also use white pepper powder, Sichuan peppercorns, or pink peppercorns. Keep in mind different types of pepper have varying levels of heat and taste.
- Optional ingredients: If you want to play around with the flavor, here are some suggestions on other optional ingredients to incorporate:
- Oyster sauce – for a hint of caramel and umami taste
- Soy sauce – adds a deep umami taste
- Sesame oil – for a nutty and earthy taste
- Dashi powder or chicken bouillon powder – adds a depth of flavor and enhances the overall taste
- Sugar – to counter the salty flavors with a hint of sweetness
- Cornstarch – makes the texture thicker and creamier
- Egg – binds the filling and adds an eggy taste
Once you have decided on your ingredients, avoid overmixing the filling to preserve its minced texture. Overmixing can make it too mushy, making it unappetizing to eat.
A Few Pointers On Using Wonton Wrappers
Using wonton wrappers is pretty easy. However, there are a few things that can cause them to break and open when not handled properly. Here are some reminders on how to fill and seal wonton wrappers.
- The wonton wrapper will break when it is too wet. The filling should not be too watery. The moisture from the filling will sip into the wrapper and cause it to break. A way to lessen moisture is by adding cornstarch or flour to the filling. Aside from the filling, keep the wonton wrappers away from any liquid that may absorb fully and put them in a dry place.
- Fold the wonton according to your desired shape. I folded my wontons in the simplest shape, like a scrunched bag. However, you can also shape it in other different styles, such as Bow Tie Wonton and Fish Wonton. Learn how to fold a wonton in different styles with my guide 5 Easy Ways To Fold A Wonton.
- Seal the edges with a dab of water. When closing and sealing the wonton wrappers, dab the edges with water using your fingertips. In this way, the two sides will be sealed when the edges are pinched together.
- There should be no air left inside. When sealing the wonton wrapper, seal it in a way all air is pushed out and only the filling is left. Leaving air pockets in the wonton will make it inflate and pop when steamed.
- Do not put too much filling. Fill the wrapper with about 1 to 2 teaspoons filling. Leave enough room for you to fold and seal the edges. If you are left with very little edges to pinch together, it may not seal properly and open easily.
- Prevent the wonton wrappers from drying out. If you are going to take time filling the wrappers or are not yet going to use them, I suggest covering them with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out. Doing this ensures it stays moist and soft for folding.
- Line the steamer with parchment paper and do not overload it with too many wontons.It is best to place the assembled wontons on parchment paper to prevent the wonton wrapper from sticking to the steamer basket. Moreover, the steamer should not be overloaded with too many wontons to allow them to have enough space to expand and cook evenly.
- Freeze leftover wonton wrappers for future use. You can keep it for a long time in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag. When you are ready to use the wrappers, make sure to defrost them thoroughly before using them. If you try to use it without fully defrosting, the wrapper will be too stiff and cause it to break or crack if you try to fold it.
Other Ways To Cook Shrimp Wontons
Wontons are cooked in several ways, including boiling, steaming, and frying. In this recipe, I steamed the wontons for 10 minutes using a steamer. If you prefer a different cooking method, you can opt for boiling and deep-frying.
To boil the wontons, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, place the wontons and let it cook until they start to float. Do not overboil them or they will break open and spill the filling.
To deep-fry the wontons, heat oil in a pot and carefully put the wontons. Continue frying until the wontons are golden brown and crispy. You can also air-fry the wontons until crispy, similar to my Air Fryer Wontons recipe.
How To Serve Shrimp Wontons
Shrimp wontons are already good on their own, but you can also pair them with a sweet, spicy, or savory dipping sauce. For instance, you can make a spicy dipping sauce with red chili flakes, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and black vinegar. For a ginger-infused sauce, mix together ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and sesame oil.
You can also dip it in chili oil, chili garlic, or soy sauce with sesame oil. I highly suggest making my Four Dumpling Sauce Recipes, which you can also use for shrimp wontons! In this sauce guide, I share my secret sauces with a complete ingredient list for garlic-flavored dipping sauce, chili-infused dipping sauce, sesame dipping sauce, and hot wasabi dipping sauce.
Can I Freeze Shrimp Wontons?
Yes, you can! Whether you are preparing these in advance or have leftovers, you can freeze the shrimp wontons to eat for later. It can last in the freezer for 1 to 2 months as long as it is stored properly.
Follow these steps on how to store shrimp wontons in the freezer:
- Place the shrimp wontons on a tray lined with parchment paper. Put them in a way they are not sticking together and have ample space in between.
- Cover it in a plastic wrap or freezer bag and freeze until fully frozen.
- Once each wonton is fully frozen, you can then remove them from the tray and combine them all in a freezer bag or airtight container. In this way, you don’t have to worry about the wontons sticking together since they are rock solid already.
Things To Prepare To Make Shrimp Wontons
The only special kitchen appliance you need is a steamer lined with parchment paper. If you don’t have a steamer, you can still steam without a steamer in 5 ways: pan with steamer rack, microwave, pan with sieve, rice cooker, and instant pot. Apart from a steaming appliance, prepare a knife and chopping board, mixing bowls, and kitchen gloves (optional).
Here are the ingredients to prepare:
- 300g of shrimp (finely chopped into paste)
- 100g of carrots (finely chopped)
- 100g of corn kernels
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder
- Wonton wrappers
- Your favorite dipping sauce
5 Easy Steps To Make Shrimp Wontons
Follow these 5 simple steps to complete this recipe. If you want to watch how I did it, check out my 30-second tutorial reels on Instagram or TikTok. Expect to prepare the filling, place it in the wonton wrappers, seal, and steam.
- Prepare the shrimp by peeling off the skin and removing the vein.
- Then, finely chop the shrimp so it becomes like a fine paste. I used two knives at the same time to chop fast.
- Clean the carrot and finely chop it. It should be smaller than diced carrots. You can use a food processor to grate and finely chop the carrot.
- In a bowl, mix the chopped shrimp with finely chopped carrots and corn.
- Add cooking wine, salt, and black pepper powder. Mix well.
- Place a small portion of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper.
- Dab the edges with a little amount of water.
- Close the wrapper by folding and pinching the edges together. This should give you a ball of wonton with a scruff at the bottom.
- Fill the steamer with water.
- Line the steamer basket with parchment paper and place the wontons.
- Once the water boils, steam for 10 minutes.
- Take caution when removing the lid of the steamer as the moisture may drip onto the wontons.
Enjoy these shrimp wontons with your favorite dipping sauce. Treat yourself to a wonton feast by also making Air Fryer Wontons (Fried Pork Dumplings) and Crab Rangoon (Crab & Cream Cheese Wonton).
Shrimp Wontons Recipe (Steamed Method )
Ingredients
- 300 g of shrimp finely chopped into paste
- 100 g of carrots finely chopped
- 100 g of corn kernels
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder
- Wonton wrappers
- Your favorite dipping sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the shrimp by peeling off the skin and removing the vein.
- Then, finely chop the shrimp so it becomes like a fine paste. I used two knives at the same time to chop fast.
- Clean the carrot and finely chop it. It should be smaller than diced carrots. You can use a food processor to grate and finely chop the carrot.
- In a bowl, mix the chopped shrimp with finely chopped carrots and corn.
- Add cooking wine, salt, and black pepper powder. Mix well.
- Place a small portion of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper.
- Dab the edges with a little amount of water.
- Close the wrapper by folding and pinching the edges together. This should give you a ball of wonton with a scruff at the bottom.
- Fill the steamer with water.
- Line the steamer basket with parchment paper and place the wontons.
- Once the water boils, steam for 10 minutes.
- Take caution when removing the lid of the steamer as the moisture may drip onto the wontons.
