Skip to main content

Hundred Corner Shrimp Balls

Image may contain Food Fried Chicken and Nuggets
Hundred Corner Shrimp BallsMelanie Acevedo

These hors d'oeuvres—a dressed-up version of shrimp toasts—are adapted from a recipe by Chinese cooking authority Nina Simonds, a longtime contributor to our pages.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hr

  • Yield

    Makes 80 hors d'oeuvres, serving 20

Ingredients

1

1/2 lb large shrimp (30), peeled and deveined

8

-oz can water chestnuts (1 cup), rinsed and finely chopped

1

large egg white, lightly beaten

3

tablespoons finely chopped chilled fresh pork fat or lard

1

1/2 tablespoons rice wine or Scotch

1

tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

2

tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens

2

1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

2

tablespoons cornstarch

3

cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

About 8 cups vegetable oil

Accompaniment: apricot dipping sauce

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pulse shrimp in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in water chestnuts, egg white, pork fat, rice wine, ginger, scallion, salt, and cornstarch. Beat shrimp mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon and throw it against side of bowl until combined well and compacted. Wet your hands with cold water and form teaspoons of shrimp mixture into balls, arranging in 1 layer on a wax-paper–lined tray. Coat balls, 1 at a time, in panko, then arrange in 1 layer on another wax-paper–lined tray.

    Step 2

    Preheat oven to 425°F.

    Step 3

    Heat oil in a 5-quart pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F and fry balls in 4 batches, turning, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. When all shrimp balls are fried, reheat on a rack set in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until just hot, about 2 minutes.