Deep-fried to golden brown deliciousness, these crispy Shrimp Egg Rolls are a great appetizer to start your meal or party. Dip them in Japanese leek and miso sauce (Negi Miso) to enjoy!
Raise your hands if you love some crispy juicy egg rolls. These Shrimp Egg Rolls are for you today! Here, sweet juicy shrimp are rolled into a wheat flour wrapper and deep-fried to golden brown perfection. So good and addictive that you must make them at home!
I know you may want to hide under the sink when I say the word fry. But trust me, egg rolls are not just restaurant foods. Follow my recipe and you’ll be able to deep fry them with confidence and enjoy anytime you like! Serve the shrimp egg rolls with the all-purpose Negi Miso (Leek and Miso Sauce).
Shrimp Egg Rolls for Family Dinner and Potluck Party
When we make deep fry foods like these shrimp egg rolls at home, they are usually reserved for a special occasion like a potluck party. But I also like to surprise my family once in a while with crunchy treats like these on a Friday night or a weekend family dinner. It is a good time to bond over delicious fried food. And I get extra hugs from the kids when I serve these on the table!
These egg rolls are also extra special because of their unique presentation and flavors. The shrimps appear long and stick-straight and are hugged snuggly in the spring roll wrap. The tails stick out which makes them the perfect finger food. Inside the rolls, you’d taste the aromatic ginger and negi (Japanese long onion) along with a savory miso sauce! It’s a simple combination, but the whole combo makes for delicious egg rolls.
At a potluck party, you can expect them to be the first food your guests would walk and munch away with their hands.
3 Recipe Tips
For a simple recipe like this Shrimp Egg Roll, you’ll need to make sure to use good ingredients for a successful result. Here are some tips when you go grocery shopping.
1. Use quality spring roll or egg roll wrappers
There are different brands of egg rolls and spring roll wrappers out there. The key is to find the ones that are super thin and not doughy tasting. I recommend the Spring Home brand “TYJ Spring Roll Pastry” which can be found at most of the Asian grocery stores. You can find them in the frozen section, along with egg pancake, paratha or naan.
What I like about this spring roll pastry (egg roll wrappers) is that each sheet is very thin and larger in size compared to some other brands. The thin sheets make the egg roll very crisp and light. Since it is large enough, you can easily roll the shrimp up without any issues.
For this recipe, I didn’t get a chance to go to an Asian grocery store, so I used a Ryshobo (隆祥房)’s harumaki (egg roll/spring roll) wrapper that I got from a Japanese grocery store Nijiya.
2. Use Negi Miso (Leek & Miso Sauce)
I apply negi miso inside the egg rolls and serve it as a dipping sauce for extra flavor. I personally don’t need to dip my egg rolls into the sauce because there is plenty of flavors already. If you want to keep your Shrimp Egg Rolls plain for your guests, serve the Negi Miso on the side as an option.
To make this Negi Miso, I use the #1 selling miso from Hikari Miso® called Kodawattemasu. Made of organic soybeans and rice, it is free of additives and preservatives. In terms of taste, this miso has a rich and mature flavor with the full-bodied umami of soybeans and the sweetness of rice.
Where can I buy Kodawattemasu by Hikari Miso®:
- Japanese grocery stores (Nijiya, Mitsuwa, Marukai, local mom-pop shops, etc)
- Asian grocery stores (including Chinese/Korean grocery stores)
- Tokyo Central Online ($7.48)
3. Get shrimp with tail
For this recipe, get the shrimp with the tail on. You won’t be eating the tail, but it’s for the presentation. To show off the pretty red tails, you will need to clean them carefully. Please do not skip this process or take a shortcut.
You will need to straighten the shrimp so the egg rolls will be a log shape. We use the same straightening technique that we use for Shrimp Tempura and Ebi Fry.
Yes, they take a bit of work, but you won’t regret making these rolls! Everyone will go wild for it.
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Shrimp Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ lb shrimp (roughly 10 shrimp)
- 1 Tbsp sake
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm)
- 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion)
- 5 egg roll (harumaki) wrappers (or enough for a half wrapper per shrimp)
- 4 Tbsp Homemade Negi Miso (you can make my recipe)
- ¾ cup neutral oil (for deep-frying)
For the Flour Mixture "Glue"
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Remove the heads of ½ lb shrimp, if still attached. Next, remove the outer shell. Devein the back of shrimp with a skewer (for step-by-step photos, see my tutorial). The vein runs right along the back. Insert the tip of skewer sideways about ½ inch down from the head of the shrimp and pull the skewer tip up towards you. This will lift up the vein and you can pull off the vein with the skewer or with your hand. If the vein is broken, then insert again a bit lower towards the tail. If you can’t find the vein, then don’t worry about it. Next, clean the shrimp by rubbing them with a pinch of salt, 1 Tbsp potato/corn starch, and 2 Tbsp water in a bowl until you see dirty water. Rinse until clean.
- Cut the tip of the tail diagonally (as you see below).
- Remove the dirty water in the tail by holding the tip of a knife down on the tail and moving it from left to right squeezing the water out from the cut tip. If you skip this process, water retained in the tail might create splatter in the oil.
- Now all the tail is almost translucent.
- Make a couple of slits diagonally on the underside of the shrimp.
- Hold the shrimp with both hands and straighten it as much as possible in order to get the desired shape.
- In a small bowl, put the shrimp, 1 Tbsp sake, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix well together. Let it marinate until you’re ready to use them.
- Peel the skin of 1 knob ginger and cut it into julienned strips.
- Cut 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) diagonally into thin slices.
- Cut 5 egg roll (harumaki) wrappers in half diagonally. Peel off one wrapper at a time to separate them. Now you have 10 triangular wrappers—one for each shrimp.
- Prepare the flour mixture by mixing 1 tsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 1 tsp water in a small bowl. Put 4 Tbsp Homemade Negi Miso in a small bowl.
To Wrap
- Place a triangular wrapper in front of you with one point of the long side of the wrapper towards you. Next, spread a bit of Negi Miso on the wrapper about halfway up on the long side. Then, place one shrimp on the sauce with the tail sticking out from the side.
- Add a bit of julienned ginger and sliced negi on top of the shrimp. Then, fold up bottom edge of the wrapper over the shrimp.
- Fold the side edge over to meet the shrimp, and begin to roll.
- Continue rolling until you meet the end of the wrapper. Place a small dollop of the flour paste on the edge of the wrapper. Repeat wrapping until all the shrimp and wrappers are done.
To Deep-Fry
- In a large frying pan or medium saucepan, place ½ inch of neutral oil. Heat on medium heat until hot. You‘ll know the oil is ready when tiny bubbles appear around the tip of a chopstick placed in the oil.
- Slowly place the egg rolls in the pan. Do not crowd the pot. Cover with a splatter guard if you have one. Cook until golden brown and the shrimp is fully cooked, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to catch any excess oil. Serve with Negi Miso sauce and enjoy.
Can I switch shrimp to asparagus for vegetarian opt?.. And what is this snack called in Japanese?
Hi Bonnie! Yes! You can use asparagus.
This type of dish is called “Harumaki” 春巻き, and if you have a shrimp inside, we called it “Ebi no Harumaki.”
Shrimp is called “Ebi” in Japanese.
We hope this helps!
Great recipe. My only caveat is that I’ve found Wei Chuan spring roll shells to be much better than TYJ. They brown more nicely and they get crisper. If you haven’t tried those, I’d recommend them. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Tommy! Mr. JOC buys 水餃子 from Wei Chuan. I don’t think the Asian grocery store that I go has Wei Chuan spring roll wrappers. I’ll pay closer attention next time. Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
Nami, I’m curious. Have you tried these shrimp egg rolls in an air fryer?
I so enjoy all your recipes. My Japanese husband is excited to see each email I get! He particularly loved the bamboo rice!
Hi Katie! If I had an air fryer, I would try… 😀 Hahaha, I hope your Japanese husband likes the Japanese recipes I share. 🙂
I love your recipes. Your instructions, pictures and videos are great and easy to follow. I lived in Japan and your recipes are truly the real thing. I love it.
Hi Lucila! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so happy you enjoy my recipes! Thanks for taking the time to write your feedback. 🙂