Rice paper shrimp chips recipe
Rice paper shrimp chips with butterflied shrimp, ginger, and scallion. Shallow-fried until light, puffed, and crisp with nuoc cham for dipping. Makes 16-18 shrimp chips.
Servings: 16 shrimp chips
Ingredients
- 2 spring onions green parts only, julienned lengthwise into 2 to 2.5-inch strips
- 0.7 oz ginger julienned (2-inch length knob)
- ½ lb white shrimp peeled and deveined, tail-on preferred, 26 to 30 count per pound
- 3 whole round rice paper wrappers 8.5 inches in diameter
- Avocado oil enough to cover the pan by about ¼ inch
Nuoc cham dipping sauce (makes 1 cup):
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2.5 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 5 tbsp warm water
- 3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 small clove garlic finely minced
- 1 whole Thai chili or ½ red serrano chili pepper seeds removed and sliced
Instructions
- Make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, warm water, honey, garlic, and chili until the honey dissolves. Set aside.
- Prepare the aromatics. Use only the green parts of the spring onions. Slice them lengthwise into thin 2 to 2.5-inch strips. Peel the ginger with a small spoon, then julienne it into thin 2-inch strips.
- Butterfly the shrimp. Place each shrimp on a cutting board, back side facing up. Make a shallow cut along the back, without cutting all the way through. Gently open and flatten the shrimp.
- Cut the rice paper. Use kitchen shears to cut each round rice paper wrapper in half. Cut each half into 3 equal triangles. Each rice paper wrapper will give you 6 triangles, which makes 3 shrimp chips.
- Assemble the shrimp chips. Place one dry rice paper triangle on a cutting board, smooth side down and rough side up, with the point facing toward you. Place one shrimp on top, back side down, with the tail slightly outside the wrapper. Gently flatten the shrimp with your fingers, then add a few strips of ginger and spring onion on top.
- Seal and flatten. Place another dry rice paper triangle directly on top to enclose the shrimp, ginger, and spring onion. Use the bottom of a small flat-bottomed cup to gently press, not pound, the shrimp chip. This helps flatten the shrimp and makes the top and bottom rice paper pieces stick together.
- Repeat. Transfer the assembled shrimp chip to a large plate and repeat with the remaining shrimp and rice paper triangles.
- Heat the oil. In a 10-inch heavy-bottomed pan with high sides, add enough avocado oil to cover the bottom by about ¼ inch. Heat over medium heat until hot. To test the oil, dip a clean, dry wooden chopstick into the oil. If small bubbles form around it, the oil is ready.
- Fry the shrimp chips. Add the shrimp chips one at a time. Place the ginger and spring onion side down into the oil first, not the back side of the shrimp. Fry for about 15 seconds per side, adjusting the heat as needed so the rice paper puffs quickly without burning.
- Drain and serve. As soon as the shrimp turns pink and opaque and the rice paper is puffed and crisp, transfer the shrimp chips to a wire rack. Serve right away with the nuoc cham dipping sauce while the rice paper is still crisp.
Notes
- Best served right away: These shrimp chips are best hot and fresh, while the rice paper is still puffed and crisp. The rice paper will soften as it sits, so make only what you plan to eat.
- Make-ahead sauce: The nuoc cham can be made ahead and stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks. It tastes brightest within 1 week. Use a clean spoon each time.
- Leftovers: Store leftover shrimp chips in a flat container lined with a dry paper towel. Reheat in the air fryer at 360°F for 4 minutes. No extra oil needed.
- Air fryer note: I tested these in the air fryer at 400°F for 4 minutes. The rice paper did not puff properly and became sticky on the teeth. For the best texture, I recommend shallow-frying.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chip | Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.1mg
