These crispy shrimp rice paper bites are a quick and easy snack that everyone will love! It’s bursting with flavor and pairs so well with creamy Thai sweet chili sauce.
What is rice paper?
Rice paper wrappers are a staple ingredient in Asian cuisine. It’s thin, transparent and has a slight chewiness. You can purchase rice paper at any Asian grocery store, international section of the supermarket, or even on Amazon. There are several ways to prepare rice paper, but today I’ll be showing you how to make it crispy by pan-frying.
Ingredients you’ll need
- I prefer using Black Tiger Shrimp for Asian recipes like this for best taste and texture
- oyster sauce and fish sauce for a sweet, savory and salty marinade
- grated garlic and garlic powder as seasonings
- hot chili oil for extra flavor – I used Lao Gan Ma, which can be purchased here
Tips for wrapping rice paper
Prepare a bowl of lukewarm or even cool water for dipping the rice paper. Warm water will soften the rice paper faster, but cool water will keep it slightly more firm and might make it easier to wrap. So, test it out to see which temperature works better for you.
note: do not use steaming hot water, or else the rice paper will disintegrate!
Place the rice paper on a cutting board or large plate after completely dipping in water. Then simply wait until it softens, which should be between 15 to 30 seconds. I don’t recommend dipping more than 2 rice papers at a time because it’ll become too sticky if left to sit for too long.
Dipping sauce
The sauce recipe I used is very simple and uses only two ingredients. It’s a ratio of 3 parts thai sweet chili sauce and 1 part kewpie mayo to make it creamy. You can also pair this with spicy mayo, dumpling sauce or peanut sauce.
Storing leftovers
These rice paper bites are best eaten immediately, but you can also store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Air fry for best results, or pan-fry, covered, on low until crispy.
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Crispy Shrimp Rice Paper Bites
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 shrimp appetizers 1x
Description
These crispy shrimp rice paper bites are a quick and easy snack that everyone will love! It’s bursting with flavor and pairs so well with this creamy thai sweet chili sauce.
Ingredients
- 16 large shrimp, peeled
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- ¼ tsp fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp hot chili oil (optional if you prefer not spicy)
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 8 sheets rice paper, cut in halves
- oil for pan-frying
sauce:
- 3 tbsp thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp kewpie mayo
Instructions
- Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Transfer to a bowl and season with black pepper, oyster sauce. fish sauce, grated ginger, garlic powder and hot chili oil, if using. The brand I used is Lao Gan Ma which I’ve linked in the notes below.
- Prepare a large bowl of slightly warm water for dipping and cut each rice paper in half. Dip the rice paper in water and rotate around twice, then place on a cutting board. I usually like to dip two at a time for wrapping. Depending on the temperature of your water, you’ll need to wait until it softens (about 20 seconds).
- Place an avocado in the middle of the rice paper and a shrimp on top. Fold the large sides over the shrimp, then flip it over (so the avocado faces the top) and repeat with the remaining sides.
- Add a drizzle of oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add the rice paper, shrimp side down. Cook about 1.5 minutes, then flip it over and cook for 30 seconds. Note these times are approximate and will vary depending on the size of your shrimp and heat level.
**pan-frying tip: cook in batches and don’t crowd the pan to ensure crispiness!
- Let it cool on a rack and pair with creamy thai sweet chili sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
ingredients can be found here on my amazon storefront
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: rice paper, crispy shrimp, avocado bites
