Rosie Makes Shrimp Wontons.

 

 I made some boiled shrimp the other day and had my fill of it, along with a sinus-clearing cocktail sauce, so I was thinking, "What else can I do with this shrimp?"  As I've said before, Rosie doesn't do "leftovers."  Rosie does "moreovers."  What I do is take food that has served its purpose in one particular capacity and elevate it to a new and higher calling - in other words - "moreovers."  

Here's what I wrote before about "moreovers:"

 Nothing goes to waste in the Hawthorne Household.
And I don't refer to the remnants as leftovers.
Immediately after writing the word "leftovers,"
I knew I needed another word that was more real, more definitive, and positive.
First I thought of the word re-do's.
But that implies it wasn't done right
the first time around
when it certainly was.
Then I considered do-overs.
But, of course, that, too, has a negative connotation.
I've put a lot of thought into this trying to come up with just the right word which describes
the process of what I do in the life chain of the produce and viande I prepare and serve and consume.

And my word is moreovers.

Think about it:
You've already produced and served a wonderful, satisfying, convivial repast.
So, what's next?
MORE is next.
Whenever you say "moreover," you're likely going to top what you previously said,
put an exclamation point there, and/or put it in bold or italics.
So, I have no leftovers.
I have MOREOVERS!

 

 

So, in the life cycle of this particular shrimp, I've already boiled the shrimp with Old Bay seasoning and served it, as I said, with a sinus-clearing cocktail sauce, so now  I'm going with moreover shrimp wontons.

First, I made a dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce for Shrimp Wontons:

1/4 cup cider vinegar 

2 TB honey

1 TB tamari sauce  *see note below

2 TB diced cucumber

1 sliced scallion

1 TB toasted peanuts, chopped

1/2 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chile pepper flakes)

1 1-inch cube ginger, pressed  **see note below

1 TB apricot preserves

Combine all ingredients.  Taste test.  Adjust anything if you like.  Make it yours.

 
*Rosie Note:  You could use soy sauce instead of tamari.  Basically they're the same thing, both being byproducts of fermented soy beans; however, soy sauce contains wheat and tamari is gluten-free (or has very little wheat).  Tamari generally has a darker color, is thicker, and has a richer flavor than soy sauce and because of its longer fermentation process, tamari has a smoother taste and deeper umami flavor.  Soy sauce tends to be saltier and sharper with a more pronounced bite.

**Rosie Note:   When I buy ginger root, I slice it into small cubes and freeze it.  When I'm ready to use the ginger, I take out a cube and nuke it for about 20 seconds.  You can easily squeeze it now to get ginger juice out of it. (It's difficult if not impossible to produce ginger juice from fresh ginger root.)   I use a garlic press to extract the juice and press out some of the pulp, which I scrape off and use in the sauce.

Next, for the shrimp wonton filling:

Shrimp filling:  (Enough for about 12 wontons.)

1 cup chopped, cooked shrimp (about 12 large shrimp)

1 tsp mirin

1 tsp hoisin sauce

1 large garlic clove, pressed

1 ginger cube, pressed

1 tsp tamari sauce

1 chopped scallion

Combine all ingredients.

Now, here's a suggestion:  If you wanted to make this more like a Shrimp Rangoon, you could.  Simply mash about 2 -3 tablespoons of softened cream cheese into the mix and proceed.  Just be sure the edges are well-sealed, because cream cheese seeping out while you're frying can make a mess in the oil. 

I decided to go without the cream cheese this time because I wanted full shrimp flavor.

 

Place a small amount of shrimp filling in center of each wonton sheet.

Do not over-fill.

 

Instead of water, I use tamari or soy sauce to wet the edges.

 

Fold over, press, and crimp to seal.

Heat oil in skillet to 350°.

Place filled wontons, one at  a time, in hot oil.

Do not crowd the pan.

Fry both sides until golden brown.  About 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

Plate wontons and sprinkle on some sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Enjoy!