Ooooohhhh – these were so delicious! These Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce almost didn’t make it to the dinner table – we were eating them as they came out of the fryer – not even minding that we burnt our tongues! The reason I love this dish so much is because the ingredients are so simple and I almost always have frozen shrimp and a packet of Eggroll/Springroll wrappers in the freezer. I was inspired by these two lovely ladies – after seeing their photos and realizing, “hey, I got those ingredients!” I scurried to the kitchen to start. Note: For another recipe using egg roll wrappers, try My Mother’s Famous Egg Rolls !
Here are my secrets to Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce:
Coat the shrimp: I marinate the shrimp in garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce. The recipe is flexible. If you don’t have all those ingredients, change it up! I promise you it will taste just as delicious. Other creative ideas for marinade: Moroccan spices, curry powder, cajun seasoning, garam masala, etc. Whats your favorite seasonings for shrimp? Ok, back to “coating”: if you use liquid ingredients in the marinade (such as soy or sesame oil) – add a little cornstarch. This does something important – it thickens the marinade so that it clings to the shrimp. Oh, and while we’re talking about marinating shrimp – don’t use wine in your marinade for seafood. If you want to use wine in a seafood dish, add it towards the end of cooking process or even in the marinade right before you cook the seafood. Wine in a marinade changes the texture of the delicate seafood, especially shrimp. It makes it a little mushy – not good!
Pat the shrimp dry: After swimming in the marinade for 20 minutes, you should pat the shrimp as dry as possible. Don’t worry about wiping off the marinade – the shrimp has already been infused with the flavors during the 20 minute soak. Plus, the cornstarch will keep some of the marinade clinging to the shrimp. Whenever you make something that involves wrapping and frying, the ingredients should be dry to prevent the wrapper from getting soggy and I’m sure you know what happens when you put something wet into hot oil.
Nick the shrimp: Taking a cue from the Japanese shrimp tempura, score or nick the shrimp several times along the inside of the “curve.” This lets you straighten out the shrimp so you don’t get a short, curly roll. Just be sure not to cut to far…three little nicks is good.
Roll tight: When you roll, try to make the roll tight and compact, like a joint ….um….er….cigar….. You don’t want the shrimp falling out when you put it in the fryer. See that wrapper corner? That is where you need to brush your cornstarch “paste.” Not too much though! Just enough to keep the wrapper in place and seal.
The sweet chili sauce that I use is Mae Ploy. Its sweet and tangy, not too spicy. 
Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 25 large tail-on shrimp, deveined and nicked (see above)
- 15 eggroll/springroll wrappers, cut in half diagonally (2 triangles)
- oil for frying
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (using rasp grater)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cornstarch "paste" (mix well to form paste):
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients in bowl, marinate shrimp for 20 minutes.
- Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Wrap each shrimp in a eggroll/springroll wrapper half. (see instructions above) Seal with cornstarch paste.
- Fry in hot oil (375) for 3 minutes, until golden brown and shrimp is cooked through. Serve with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Hi Jaden,
Your recipe sounds delicious & I plan to make it in the near future. I was wondering if you have ever tried making it in an air fryer. You could eliminate all the oil that is called for in the recipe & no extra steps to get rid of it.
Hi Pati – Yes, we’ve made these in an air fryer! I spray the rolls with a little spray oil (currently using avocado oil) to get that extra crispy brown. You’ll have to play with timing and temperature, I don’t recall what we used exactly! Jaden
Jaden:
I have had good success in doing deep fry recipes in my air fryer. Just adjust time and if need be put parchment paper on the rack to catch drips if battered. By the way you recommended the secura air fryer to me and I just love it. Use it most days to cook my meat part of my meals.
I think the deep fryer works best, stick to what you know. They look amazing! Sorry about your eye feel better soon Pretty Queen. Muah! SMOOCHES! Smooches!
This recipe looks delightful! I host a huge Christmas party every year, but I don’t want to pull out a fryer and make them during the party. We tend to only make things that can be baked in the oven for 5-10 mins and served right away. Can you recommend and option for BAKING these instead of frying them?
Hi Jaynee – Do you have an airfryer?
Ohh Yummmyyyyy !!! Love Shrimps . I have one question, can I use dark sesame oïl instead of normal all purpose sesame oïl ?
Absolutely!
Hi I am on a low fat diet due to a enzyme deficiency. Can I us my Air fryer to cook the recipe from you. Thank you so much Carol
Yes! We tried with great success in Air fryer.
I was wondering if you have ever used egg whites instead of water to seal your rolls up
?
Hi Silvia – yes you can!
So if im understanding right, U can marinate shrimp put in egg rolls and freeze. When ur ready to fry do u defrost, or put frz shrimp in 325 pan and fry for a couple min. help plz im going to a pot luck party, thinking of preparing and frz and before i go, fry them put on plate and cover with foil, they sit a buffet table for 1 hr. should that be fine. thanks
Hi Cecilia- Don’t defrost, they’ll just turn out mushy. Go from freezer to fryer, add a couple of minutes more time to account for the rolls being frozen. Yes, they’ll be fine on the table. Cover loosely with foil.
What temperature would you reheat at? That would be a great time saver for me today!
If I freeze them, do I fry them frozen or thawed?
Madge- fry them frozen, add a minute or so to frying time.
thank you for a delicious sounding recipe have you tried cooking them before her party and then reheating in the oven?
Yes, I reheat in oven with great results!
I want to have the recipe for the spring roll first not the filling recipe. Thank u.
Hi Jossy – I don’t make the spring roll wrapping from scratch – I just use store-bought wrappers.
Thanks for this ‘make ahead’ recipe idea. I’m definitely making these firecracker shrimps for my guests. Have a great day, Jaden!
Hi I am in Australia and I was wondering if u know the correct brand of spring roll wrappers to buy here? I have only seen one frozen brand at the supermarket . Tried them even kept covered with a damp cloth but they still dried out.. Disaster.. Thanks Colleen
Colleen
Try using TYJ spring roll pastry (product of Singapore) – available in most Asian grocery stores. They are the best and has been around for more than 30 years. This is how they turned out for me.
https://au.pinterest.com/pin/360710251386338367/
Are the quantities for the marinade correct? I had to double it to handle 8 shrimp. Thanks, John
I doubled it too, then shoved all into a zip lock bag and then worked the bag to get everything covered and tightly sealed the bag. They are amazingly good and easy otherwise. 🙂
Without a doubt, Susan, you cannot cover them when they’re hot or even slightly warm–they’d get mushy almost immediately. Food safety-wise, no worries for an hour or 2. Can you cook some for yourself and test how well your idea works or if there’s anything you need to fine tune?
Sounds great. I have made one similar but without the cornstarch in the marinade, this sounds much better. Question – do you think these would go over well at room temperature. I’m planning a party at a gallery and would have to fry them at home, cover and bring them to the location. By the time guests dig in they may have been at room temperature for about an hour or so. Any thoughts? THanks!
Thanks Helen,
Yes. I’m convinced that the oil was too hot. I cooked them on my Big Green Egg (outdoor cooker) and I’m sure now that my fire was way too hot. Going to try it again.
Gary, I’m guessing your oil was too hot. It’s shrimp season here in SC, so I just tried this using 21-25 ct.(XL) fresh shrimp. Oil at 350 when I started frying, all the ingredients were at room temp when I wrapped ’em all up. Cooked perfectly. They are great, aren’t they?! Good luck next time and try it some fresh Carolina shrimp!
Thanks, Saipan Ed. The shrimp were thawed and marinated for a couple of hours. I’m thinking it’s because either the shrimp were jumbo shrimp and didn’t have time to cook through or maybe I had the oil too hot. I’ll try them again because they’re too good.
Thanks for the reply.
Hey Gary,
It sounds like you’re trying to cook FROZEN shrimp; since thawed shrimp is cooked nearly instantly. Just to the “pink” stage is is usually perfectly done!
Great idea. I made them last night, but ran into a slight problem. If I fry them long enough to cook the shrimp, the spring roll wrappers are too done. If the wrappers are cooked to the right color, the shrimp are not done. Any advice?
Thank you !
http://willsononline.com/forum/tapas6.jpg
Your oil is too hot.
What type of oil should i fry in corn, canola or vegetable?
I test made them for an all girl Chinese New Year party I’m catering for my girlfriend. They came out awesome. I’m making a double batch and freezing them today. Big boyfriend points..Thanks.
These look fabulous and perfect for a fancy dinner party!
Can I pan fry these instead of deep fry?
Hi Andrea – Well, sort of, as long as you have enough oil. I’d make sure that your frying pan has at least 1/2″ of oil.
Is it possible to bake these in the oven instead of frying them?
I’ve never tried baking them. I don’t think they’ll cook right in the oven.
Actually you can. Bake it at 375 for about 15 to 20 mins. For a golden look spray some olive oil or brush it with melted butter. But I still preferred deep frying.
Can these be made in advance and oven heated on party day? The recipe sounds delicious. My daughter is getting married and we won’t have access to a deep fryer that day.
I didn’t like to peel raw shrimp, either, but I got a “Shrimp Butler” and have had a complete change of mind! Easy to use and clean; does a great job of getting these guys ready! Another way is to use a table fork; run under the shell and lift. Not as easy as the Butler, but it’s pretty easy to do and it doesn’t cost anything.
What is the background n this dish? I have had them from a coworker that no longer is with us & I would love to go get some from a restaurant but I have no idea who makes then(thai, janapese, chinese etc.)
Can I used precooked shrimp? My store only carries raw shrimp with the shells on and I refuse to peel them! (Lazy)
You’ll overcook your shrimp.
Can you make these ahead and freeze? Fry day of party?
yes! I do that all the time. Just freeze them on a plate or baking sheet in single layer. once they are frozen, gather them up into a freezer bag for storage. This prevents them from sticking to each other while freezing.
i made these for my family and we all loved it
Great idea! This is a perfect dish for any party. Delicious and fun to eat!
Hi,
Do you think I could roll these in the morning and fry them around dinner time? Do you think they would dry out if I did this?
Thanks.
Leigh
They should be fine! Keep them refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap.
I have made a version of this but without the shrimp being marinated. The shrimp is butterflied and stuffed with pinch of ground pork seasoned with a bit of ground ginger, minced scallion and a bit of salt and pepper. It’s wrapped like your shrimp, fried and served with the sweet chili sauce. My friends ate themselves sick. My only question: after several batches of shrimp, little blackened bits of won ton skin are in the oil and look less than perfect. I guess I need to skim the oil?
I am crazy about shrimps!
Just made this for my sister’s b’day and eveybody (including the picky kids in our household) went crazy for your firecracker shrimps. They kept asking for more. It was a good thing I marinated extra batches of shrimps and bought several packs of spring roll wrappers…..Well, I had anticipated this would be a big hit. The only downside of it: They didn’t give me a break! I was in the kitchen all the time, minding the shrimpies.
Thank you for the recipe.
These look awesome. I can’t wait to make them for my girlfriend tonight…she’s s a crazy shrimp fan! Hopefully I can pull it off and make them look as good as they do in these pictures! Thanks for the recipe!
Justin from Bitchin’ Kitchen
A favourite with our “Ladies Potluck Party”. Our Thai friend slips in thinly shredded kaffir lime leaves before rolling up, not too much though, can be over powering. Very popular and quickly scoffed up each time.
Oh great idea!!!
Oh. I’m making these tonight and I’m so excited. I was surprised to find the Sweet Chili sauce here in this little redneck town! :O
When you roll, try to make the roll tight and compact, like a joint �.um�.er�.cigar�..
Oh. I’m good then.
LOLLLL take pics when you’re done! I wanna see how good your joint rolling skils are. ~jaden
Wow that is some wrapping you did there. I usually just do the one end and the other end stays open. I haven’t experienced any leaking doing it that way. But yours do look extremely divine and well-made. They look similar to Chinese spring rolls just with a tail at one end. Is this a variation of it?
Thanks Gourmet Mama!
Firecracker Shrimp are pretty popular – not the same as Egg Rolls or Spring Rolls – as both of those fillings are a mixture of meat/veg. But the same wrapper is used! ~j
Love, Love, Love this recipe. I make it all the time and every loves it and asks for the recipe. My only question, why not 30 shrimp as you will have 30 wrapper halves? Loved your cooking class I took at the Rolling Pin. Gene
I give you extra wrapper just in case you mess up (it’s hard to reuse a wrapper once it’s wet. ~jaden
Awesome….you did great on your recipe and presentations, i would like to make one also…and your instructions are so easy…i think i can make it fast in rolling..coz its like a joint ….um….er….cigar…..hahahahaha, just kidding…but it was great…thanks again
Wow, this looks great. I was looking for a recipe for sauted shrimp with hot chili oil. I can’t wait to make these. I am on Weight Watchers so after I loose the 10 pounds I want, I will make this recipe to celebrate.
I am new to cooking and only know how to cook breakfast food. I read the directions for this recipe and it was easy and fast to make. Everyone I have made it for has loved it and asked for the recipe. Nice dish.
This recipe came to me 2 years ago while in Culinary School.Over the years I have changed it up and made it my own. Everytime I make this dish it disappears. I am always looking for new ways to marinade my shrimp. Actually I am making it tonight for Ladies Bible Study. That should start it off with a kick :)) YUUMMMMMMMY
This recipe came to me during Culinary School 2 years. I have changed it up a bit and made it my own. I am always looking for new ways to marinade the shrimp. Everyone loves these Firecrackers when I make them. Yummmmmmy
Soooo, it’s cool if I send you the bill for the weightloss program I’m going to have attend, right? It’s just that I made these the other night and they are ridiculously good! I’m going to have show major restraint to make sure I don’t make these every night. Delicious!
haha.. seems like college skills _do_ come in handy sometimes! i think i’ll call mine dovetailed shrimp fatties.. = ) thanks for another well written post!
hi,
made your shrimp for my son’s B-day party last week.it was a BIG hit . everyone loves it. thanks a bunch. i am looking for a good orange beef recipe. try a few , some how I find the sauce a little lacking .do you have any good ones to share . I was eyeing your ribs with orange glaze, would that work do you think? by the way , my son went to buffalo U for 5 years . very cold up there.
diane
Hey Rebecca,
Baking might not work – the spring roll wrapper really is meant to be fried. You could try using filo dough instead…actually… come to think of it…what a great substitute! Use the same chili sauce and wrap in filo and bake.
Thanks for the inspiration!
xo, jaden
Instead of deep frying these, is there a recommended way of ‘baking’ them somehow? trying to see if I can make these a bit more ‘healthy’ 🙂
Two words for this dish: FABULOUS FABULOUS…i had to vary in that i could not find such big shrimp so i used smaller and quickly did a turn or two of the Magic Bullet and then made them more into eggrolls…….my 22 yr old wants to invite his new girlfriend over for the first time and i must make these he said to have with drinks….the seasoning, the dip, even the oil heat was spot on…..
Hi Jaden,
I added your blog to my LINKS, so everyone can discover your wit and great photos. Will be looking for new recipes to make-my kitchen looks too clean lately.
I’ll write you when another tropical fruit comes into ripeness.
You should check out the Feb South Beach Food and Wine Festival-as an instructor..hint, hint!
Carambolically yours,
Ivan
of course I do Blondee!
I am making this tomorrow….do u get all comments even if it is months later that someone tries the recepie?
Hello,
I made these shrimp recipe yesterday and it was so delicious !
I would like to copy your recipe to my BLOG if you don’t mind.
Thank you
I live in Venice. Where is a good Chinese food market to get items for your wonderful recipes? Thanks, Phil
These look great and sound nice and tasty!
Hi Jaden,
You have a beautiful blog site. I just love to browse it. I made these firecracker prawns last night and found the flavor of the prawns bland. Are the measurements for the marinade correct? I should have adjusted it to taste. It seems very little for the 25 prawns.
June
Hey Lisa-
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I’m sure they will freeze just as well, you’ll fry for a couple of minutes more. Make sure you freeze on a tray first so that they freeze individually.
Jaden
Do these shrimp egg rolls freeze as well as your mother’s famous egg rolls?
I think it depends on the thickness of your wrapper. The last time i cooked a batch, i only did half of the wrapper triangle (just like you did) because when i did the first 2 prawns to taste for seasoning, the wrapper seemed a little too thick. I think you’ll be able to tell once you start wrapping if this is so.
Seriously, your photo is giving me itchy fingers to roll! 😉
Blake- when I used store bought marinade – I always boost up the flavors by adding fresh grated garlic and ginger (asian style) or fresh grated garlic & spices/chopped herbs. If a dish needs just a little kick, it sometimes means it is missing a “high” or “bright” flavor note. In your case, it could mean a dipping sauce like the tangy Mae Ploy, or adding a splash of rice wine vinegar to the marinade. When I served these last week, my friend Kelly went into my refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of what she calls “Rooster Sauce” or Sriracha, which in addition to heat, has vinegar in it. Thanks for trying the recipe and please keep me posted on your next version of the recipe!
Attempted to make thes last night. marinated in a “Soyaki” sauce from Trader Joe’s. Came out quite nicely, not much substance to them though. Perhaps making them a little more eggroll-like with some sprouts or carrots could spice them up. But they were quite good with little prep and quick cooking.
Thank you C! We love you too….next week maybe dim sum?
The only thing better than looking at these beauties is eating them at Jaden’s house. The only thing prettier than looking at them is looking at Jaden. Thanks for another dynamite dinner at your home ~ you and Scott are truly amazing hosts and your cooking always inpsires us; Frank to eat like a chubby hubby and me to MAYBE start cooking again ;-).
For those of you who do not know Jaden … she is the most talented woman I have ever met, and a sweetheart as well!
So Jade … what’s for dinner next week?!?!?
Holluu- Thats a great idea – I’ll have to try that next time. It would look so pretty if I could get the basil leave to show through the wrapper. It could possibly work if I put the leaf towards the end of the wrapper….will let you know how that turns out!
This looks so good! Can’t wait to try it ^^
Those look delightful. My dad makes a version of them, but with one main difference: the shrimp are rolled up with a single basil leaf for each roll. It accents the sweetness of the shrimp nicely!
Mae- I was going to use a whole wrapper like you did and fold in half, but after quick calculation I realized I didn’t have enough wrapper. Next time I make these I’ll buy 2 packets of wrapper! 🙂
Amy & Meena – hope you have a chance to make these. Take a look at Mae Gabriel & Rasa Malaysia’s recipe too (click on the links in the post above)
Oh my God!! These look heavenly! I can just imagine the wonderful mingling of the crunchy shrimp with the sweet chilli sauce. Yum!
I’ve never had these but they look soooo good!
I am so happy that i have inspired you to make these beauties! This is my signature dish for which i am known for to make a lot of. 🙂
I like to change the ingredients for the marinade too sometimes [keeps the guests guessing!] – and yes, they never last more than 5 minutes after they’re done cooking!
I find the rolling process quite therapeutic, don’t you?
They look so beautiful neatly piled waiting for impatient fingers to take them.
Thanks for the mention. I appreciate it. 🙂
Makes me wanna eat again though I just had my lunch :p~~~
Passionate Eater – thank you for reminding me what these guys were called! The evening that I made them, I asked my guests if they knew what they were called. No one did, and we took a poll on naming them. Here were some of the wacky names we came up with after 2 bottles of wine: Shrimp in a blanket, Sleeping bag shrimp, Can’t stop eating one shrimp, Mummy shrimp, Shrimp logs 🙂
I really enjoy your take on this recipe and your step-by-step instructions! I’ve heard that this dish originates from the Southeast Asian islands, and is called “firecracker shrimp” because it looks like a firecracker!
Ah you made this, yeah, this is a great recipe. Thanks to Rice and Noodles for all the inspiration. 🙂