Most recipes cut spring roll wrappers into small pieces, and use them for firecracker shrimp rolls. Today, we’ll use wonton wrappers, and we don’t have to cut them at all, so it saves us time. This is my delicious, crispy, quick, and easy Firecracker Shrimp Rolls.

Recipe

Serve 24 Firecracker Shrimp Rolls

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

For the Firecracker Shrimp Rolls:
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-on
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
24 wonton wrappers
1 egg
3 cups avocado oil, for frying, or replace it with other high smoking point oil

For the sweet and sour chili sauce:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. To make the sweet and sour chili sauce, in a pot over medium heat, mix in the water, rice vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, sambal oelek, and garlic. Whisk and bring it to a simmer. Pour in the cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water). Stir until it is thickened. Set aside.
2. To prepare the shrimp, dry it to remove any moisture. Make small incisions along the bottom of the shrimp to straighten its natural curve, but do not cut through.
3. Place the shrimp on a plate, and season with salt and pepper.
4. To assemble the firecracker shrimp rolls, in a bowl, crack the egg and whisk. (This will be our wrapping glue.)
5. Lay a wonton wrapper flat with a corner pointing toward you, so that it looks like a diamond. Fold the left corner toward the center. Place a piece of shrimp in the center, and the tail faces the left on the outside. Tightly fold the bottom corner up, and follow by the right corner. Continue rolling up until the top of the wrapper is left. Brush the beaten egg over the top of the wrapper, and roll it up all the way. Repeat with the rest.
6. To fry the firecracker shrimp rolls, in a large pot over high heat, place in the avocado oil, and heat it to 325°F or 163°C.
7. Transfer in the firecracker shrimp rolls, a few at a time. Deep fry until golden brown for about 3 minutes, and turn them frequently so that they brown evenly.
8. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining.
9. Or, if you liked to freeze them, and cook them in the future, place them in a single layer, and cover them up with plastic wrap. When ready to cook, just fry them directly, no defrosting is necessary.

Notes on the frying oil:

1. After frying, if the oil is not cloudy and dark, it can be reused in the future. Let the oil cool to room temperature, then pour it into a glass jar through a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth. Store in a cool and dry place.
2. If the oil is not reusable, throw it away properly. Let it cool to room temperature, and pour it into a non-breakable container with a lid. Tightly seal the container and toss it into the trash. Never pour the used oil down the drain, as it can clog your sink.