Easy, delicious firecracker shrimp recipe, made with flavourful succulent shrimp/prawns, wrapped in crispy golden pastry sheet, fried to golden perfection. It’s a perfect sharing appetiser for special parties or occasions.
All you need are shrimp/prawns, simple pantry-friendly seasonings, spring roll pastry, and oil for frying.
You'll Love this Crispy Fire Cracker Shrimp!
It is super easy and fun to make with 7 basic ingredients! You can deep fry, air fry or bake them. Perfect for freezing, making ahead, and cooking a big batch for parties.
Shrimp and prawn appetisers are one of the most expensive appetisers whenever you go to Chinese or Thai restaurants, and we can never have them enough. They disappear fast once they hit the table.
When we make it at home, we get a large portion with a minimum budget, and the whole family can enjoy it.
Why is it called a firecracker shrimp?
It is called firecracker shrimp because of its shape. A shrimp wrapped in rice paper looks like a firecracker, and it is also bursting with flavour like a cracker!
This dish is also known as " Shrimp in a Blanket ", Goong Hom Pha in Thai cuisine.
If you love spring rolls like us, you don't want to miss out my readers' favourite Vegetable Spring Rolls and Thai Spring Rolls recipes.
Ingredients You'll Need
Shrimp: Raw shrimp or cooked shrimp?
Use large raw prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined, but leave the tails on.
Do not use pre-boiled or cooked shrimps as they can be tasteless and rubbery when you deep fry them.
If you don't like shrimp tails, simply remove them and wrap the entire shrimp in a spring roll wrapper, just like you wrap traditional Chinese Spring Rolls.
Wrapper: What type of pastry to use?
Spring roll pastry is my top choice, they are thin in texture and crisp up beautifully when deep-fried. It goes well with shrimp without overpowering it.
I usually use TYJ spring roll pastry, which is mainly made from wheat flour. Use any thin spring roll sheets available at your local supermarkets or grocery stores.
Instead of spring roll wrapper, you can also try with:
- Egg roll wrapper which is a bit thicker.
- Try Vietnamese rice paper for a light, gluten-free option.
- Wonton wrappers for smaller, mini bite-sized versions.
- Phyllo dough for a flakier twist, and it is perfect for baking or an air-frying option.
For the seasonings
- Garlic powder or grated garlic
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Sesame oil
Other Ingredients
- Frying oil: High smoke point oil for deep frying, or use a cooking spray for an air fryer.
- Flour glue: Mix flour and water into a thick glue-like texture to seal the spring rolls. Or you can use egg wash.
How to make firecracker shrimp?
- Prep the Shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving tails on. Pat them dry with paper towels.
Make a few small slits along the underside of each shrimp to straighten it.
- Season the Shrimp: Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sesame oil. Mix well and let the flavours infuse for 10-15 minutes.
- Wrap and Seal: Mix plain flour with a little water to make a thick, smooth flour glue. Cut spring roll wrappers into triangles or halves. Place a shrimp near the short edge with the tail sticking out.
Roll tightly like a cigar and seal the end with flour glue. ( Check out my recipe video for the folding steps. )
- Fry Until Crispy: Heat neutral oil to 175-180°C (350°F). Fry the wrapped shrimp in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels or cooling rack to remove excess oil.
My Tried & Tested Tips
Don’t forget to read these 4 helpful tips before making firecracker shrimp rolls.
- Keep it dry: Pat the shrimp completely dry before seasoning to avoid excess moisture. Wet shrimp can cause oil splatter when frying, resulting in a greasy, soggy coating texture.
- Slit to straighten: Do not forget to small slits on the shrimp's belly side, this helps them fry straight and gives a neater roll and it doen’t curl up while you are rolling.
- Hot and quick fry: Shrimp are cooked very quickly, so please make sure not to overcook. Do not overcrowd the frying oil and fry in small batches at around 175-180°C (350°F) to get crispy rolls without overcooking the shrimp.
- Use neutral high smoke point oil: Go for oils like vegetable, canola, or sunflower with a high smoke point for clean, crisp frying.
Air fryer Option
Preheat the air fryer to 190°C (370°F) and place the shrimp spring rolls in an air fryer basket in a single layer.
Spray or brush neutral cooking oil on them. Air fry for 6-8 minutes or until crispy by flipping halfway through.
Note: Air-fried and deep-fried firecracker shrimp spring rolls are slightly different in colour and texture.
Deep-fried rolls are extra crispy with a golden brown finish, while air-fried ones are lighter with a crisp skin and pale brown colour.
Dipping Sauce
My go-to dipping sauce for shrimp in a blanket is a Sweet Chilli Sauce, Sweet and Sour Sauce, Sriracha chilli sauce, spicy mayo, or simple ginger soy dipping sauce.
How to Freeze and Reheat
To freeze, place the uncooked, wrapped shrimp spring rolls over a baking sheet lined tray and freezer for 1-2 hours until set. Then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. When you are ready to fry, do not defrost. Cook straight from frozen.
Reheating: To retain the texture of leftover fried shrimp rolls, place them in the preheated air-fryer at 180°C (350°F), and fry for 2-3 minutes or until crispy. Do not suggest reheating in the microwave as the coating can be soggy and unpleasant.
More Tasty Shrimp Appetisers
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📖 Recipe
Firecracker Shrimp ( Shrimp in a Blanket )
Ingredients
- 18-20 Large Shrimp Or Prawns ( Raw/Uncooked )
- 10 Spring roll wrapper 215mm x 215 mm
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- ¼ tsp Black pepper Or white pepper
- ½ tsp Garlic powder or grated garlic
- ½ tbsp Plain flour mixed with 2 tbsp water ( for flour glue )
- Oil for frying High smoke point neutral oil
Instructions
Prepare the Shrimp
- Peel and devein the shrimp, but leave the tails on for easy handling. Pat them dry with paper towels. Make a few small slits along the underside of each shrimp to straighten it.
Season the Shrimp
- Place the prepared shrimp in a bowl. Season with salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of sesame oil. Mix well and let marinate for 10–15 minutes so they soak up all that flavour.
Wrap and Seal
- Mix plain flour with a water to make a thick flour glue. Cut spring roll wrappers into triangles or halves. Place a shrimp near the short edge with the tail sticking out. Roll tightly and seal the end with flour glue.
Deep Fry Until Crispy
- Heat neutral oil to 175-180°C (350°F). Fry the wrapped shrimp in batches for 2–3 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels or wrire rack to remove excess oil.
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