Shrimp, scallop, and chive dumplings

2024-09-02

Notes and Commentary

This recipe is adapted from Maangchi's shrimp and Asian chive dumpling recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients

Yields approx. 25 dumplings

• 25 dumpling wrappers (store-bought is fine)
• 1/2 lb shrimp, raw
• 1/4 lb scallops, raw
• 1/4 lb Asian chives
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Cloves of garlic (to taste)

Prep

Step 1: Prepare Seafood and Chive

Peel and de-vein your shrimp, if not done so already. Roughly chop them along with your scallops. Half the size of the last joint of your pinky is a good reference for the size. If the scallops are a bit wet, squeeze the water out of them with your hands or with some paper towels.

Finely chop your chives—use all parts of the chive, from the green leafy end to the lighter-coloured bottom part. Mince some garlic cloves to your desired size, it depends on whether you want larger (or smaller) chunks of garlic in your dumplings.

Step 2: Assemble Filling

Take the shrimp, scallop, and chives and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add in the toasted sesame oil, fish sauce, and potato starch. Mix until well-incorporated. It's important that the potato starch is evenly-distributed over the seafood mix, otherwise the filling will be inconsistent!

Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Obligatory "Eating raw or undercooked seafood may increase your risk of..." To mitigate the risk of foodborne illness, take a small amount of the filling and microwave it, to taste.

Step 3: Wrap Dumplings

Prepare your work surface. At the least, you'll need a large plate (or sheet pan, etc) to hold your finished dumplings, and a small bowl of water (to wet the edges of the dumpling wrapper). Take one dumpling wrapper, and add about a tbsp of filling to its center. Wet the tip of one finger with the bowl of water, and run it along the edges of the wrapper. Fold in half and seal the edges.

Doing a simple half-moon fold is the most economical way to fold a dumpling when you're short on time. However, there are a bunch of other ways you can fold dumplings, ranging from very pretty to needlessly complicated. Have at it!

Step 4: Cook Dumplings

I am extremely lazy when it comes to cooking dumplings, so steaming is my preferred way of preparing them. These will be done in about 25min in a bamboo steamer.

Step 5 (optional): Freeze Dumplings

These, like most other dumplings, keep great in the fridge. Take the plate/sheet pan of dumplings you've prepared, and stick them in the freezer for about an hour. You don't want to put them in a plastic bag in your freezer right away because they'll stick to each other.

After about an hour, divide the dumplings into portions and stick them in the freezer (or do what I do and just dump them into a plastic bag and take out however many you need as you cook them).