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Shrimp Wonton Soup

[heart_this] · Jan 25, 2014 · 17 Comments

Shrimp Wonton Soup

Simple and tasty shrimp wonton soup!

When I go out for Chinese one of my favourite things to get is shrimp dumplings whether steamed or in a tasty wonton soup and with the cold weather I was thinking that wonton soup would be perfect. A wonton soup is usually pretty basic consisting of only the wontons in a broth, though you can add other things like vegetables and even noodles. With the soup being this simple you really want to make sure that both the wontons and the broth are nice and tasty.
Lets start with the broth, and let me just say that there are probably about as many different ways of making wonton broth as there are people making it. At it’s base it seems that the common ingredients are pork bones, ham and dried stock fish and from there you can make your own tweaks. I have seen recipes that replace the ham with a ham bone or bacon, recipes that replace the dried fish with dried shrimp or dried scallops and I have seen recipes that make additions like chicken bones, dried mushrooms, dried seaweed, etc. I like to keep things simple with the pork bones, a ham bone, chicken bones in addition to the dried seafood. Although this soups is probably best with this kind of broth a homemade or store bought chicken broth or chicken stock would also work.
Since this is a shrimp wonton soup I like to simmer the broth along with the shrimp shells for a few minutes to get even more shrimp flavour into the soup and throwing in some lemongrass and ginger really brighten things up. The broth is finished with touch of fish sauce.
There is just something about the shrimp in the dumplings at Chinese restaurants, they seem to be juicier, more succulent and crunchier than normal and it turns out that this is because they are soaked in an alkali water, water with a higher pH. Luckily it is easy to do this at home by mixing baking soda into water and letting the shrimp soak overnight before using them. Once you have the shrimp prepared the wonton filling is actually pretty easy consisting of the coarsely chopped shrimp and a few light seasonings to make sure that the shrimp shines through and is the star of the show. Assembling the wontons takes a bit of time but it is actually pretty easy once you get going and it is well worth the effort! Once the wontons are assembled you simply boil them in water until they float, assemble the soup and enjoy!
Although it takes a little bit of effort it is definitely easy to make restaurant quality, or better, shrimp wonton soup at home!

Shrimp Wonton Soup
Just looks at those nice big chunks of succulent shrimp! Yum!

Shrimp Wonton Soup
These shrimp wontons also go great in Japanese style miso soup using white miso paste instead of fish sauce.

Shrimp Wonton Soup

Shrimp Wonton Soup

Shrimp Wonton Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 4

Simple and tasty shrimp wonton soup!

ingredients
    For the shrimp:
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • For the broth:
  • 6 cups wonton broth or chicken broth or chicken stock or pork bone broth or ham broth
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, peeled and crushed
  • 1 inch piece ginger
  • 2 green onions
  • fish sauce to taste
  • For the wontons:
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, grated
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • wonton wrappers (gluten free for gluten free)
  • For the wonton soup:
  • 2 green onions, sliced
directions
    For the shrimp:
  1. Mix the baking soda into some cold water, place the shrimp in it and refrigerate overnight.
  2. For the broth:
  3. Bring the broth, shrimp shells, lemongrass, ginger and green onions to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes before straining out the solids and seasoning with fish sauce to taste.
  4. For the wontons:
  5. Coarsely chop the shrimp, mix it into the garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine and white pepper.
  6. Place 2 teaspoons of the mixture into the centre of a wonton wrapper, wet the outside edge of the wrapper with water, fold one corner over forming a triangle, seal and pull the two opposite corners along the fold back together and repeat for remaining filling.
  7. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the wontons and simmer until they float to the top.
  8. For the wonton soup:
  9. Divide the wontons between bowls and top with the broth and garnish with green onions.
Option: Add cabbage, baby bok choy, etc to the soup.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 237, Fat 3.6g (Saturated 1g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 162mg, Sodium 1658mg, Carbs 23g (Fiber 1.1g, Sugars 1.2g), Protein 26g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Wonton Broth

Wonton Broth

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes Servings: 12cups

A simple ands tasty Asian style broth that is perfect for things like wonton soup and ramen.

ingredients
  • 2 pounds pork bones
  • 1 ham bone
  • 1 chicken carcass
  • 1 dried stockfish or 1 ounce dried shrimp or scallops
  • 1 inch piece ginger
directions
  1. Blanch the bones by covering them in water and bringing them to a boil for 5 minutes, discard the water.
  2. Place everything into the pot, cover with 12 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 2+ hours before straining the solids.
Option: Chill the broth in the fridge and skim off any fat from the top before using.
Similar Recipes:
Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
Shrimp Bisque
Pad Thai Soup
Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup
Thai Green Curry Pork Dumplings in Coconut Sauce with Crispy Fried Shallots
Shrimp Creole Soup with Bacon and Cheddar Dumplings
Egg Drop Soup
Dandan Noodles (Tantanmen Ramen)
Tonkotsu Ramen
Cold Shanghai Wontons in Peanut Sauce and Chili Oil

Chinese, Food, Gluten-free, Low-carb, Recipe, Seafood, Shrimp, Soup

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenn @ Peas and Crayons says

    January 25, 2014 at 3:08 pm

    I've been craving won-ton soup like CRAZY this winter! The meat in the restaurant versions was holding me back but with shrimp!? I'm all over it!

    Reply
  2. Older than Dirt says

    January 25, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    I tried this one a couple of times using a few variations for things I didn't have like using a tsp. of lemon juice for the lemon grass. OMG, it is heavenly. I love wonton soup and this one is one of the best I have tasted.

    Reply
  3. Arthur in the Garden! says

    January 25, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    Yum!

    Reply
  4. Paula Jones says

    January 25, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    It is soup weather and this soup sounds like it will warm me up!

    Reply
  5. Ally says

    January 25, 2014 at 11:04 pm

    Sounds and looks soooooooooooooo good, Kevin!!

    Reply
  6. Sylvia Ellie says

    January 26, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    We love Wonton Soup, but have never tried to make it myself. Now I will. I agree that shrimp in a Chinese restaurant always seems more crisp and cooked to perfection. I never knew about alkali water. I'm going to try that next time I'm cooking shrimp. Thanks.

    Reply
  7. Jeanette says

    January 27, 2014 at 3:33 am

    Love the lemongrass broth Kevin and your shrimp wontons look perfect!

    Reply
  8. kita says

    January 27, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Currently working on a killer cold right now and this soup looks like the best thing I have seen all day. It could be the perfect remedy.

    Reply
  9. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says

    January 30, 2014 at 7:03 am

    This is absolute comfort in a bowl – so perfect for these cold nights we've been having!

    Reply
  10. ann says

    February 11, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Do you have to rinse the shrimp after soaking in baking soda?

    Reply
  11. kevin says

    February 11, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    ann: No, but you can do if you prefer. Enjoy!

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    February 6, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    Your pictures look like you have also added baby bok choy and shitake mushrooms to it? If so, how long do you cook those in the broth before putting in the wontons?

    Reply
  13. Rouvi says

    November 16, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    Really delicious and light. I made only two tiny changes, substituting shrimp broth as my wonton broth and fish sauce for the oyster since I prefer the taste of anchovy to oyster. Thank your for posting this amazing recipe Kevin!

    Reply
  14. Deborah T. says

    March 2, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    Hi Kevin, your recipes are so diverse and delicious, thank you for your tireless work in sharing them. I can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks delicious!
    Deborah

    Reply
  15. cityMouse says

    February 1, 2022 at 12:59 pm

    These look delicious, thank you so much!

    Reply
  16. Claudia says

    August 5, 2022 at 12:29 am

    Am I to assume that the shrimp are raw ( still in the shell) when you soak them in B.Soda or do you remove the shell first?
    This sounds delicious. I usually make my wonton with pork but will definitely try your way.

    Reply
    • kevin says

      August 8, 2022 at 8:35 am

      The shrimp is raw. Remove the shells and then soak the shrimp in the baking soda overnight. You can either make the broth with the shells on the day that you peeled the shrimp or you can store the shells in the fridge to make the broth the next day. Enjoy!

      Reply

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