This Shrimp Shumai recipe features tender steamed dumplings stuffed with a savory blend of succulent shrimp and earthy mushrooms, plus fresh ginger and garlic. Enjoy this easy dim sum recipe at home, with soy sauce for dipping!
This Shrimp Shumai dumplings recipe brings the flavors of your favorite dim sum restaurant to your home kitchen! Shumai, also known as Shaomai, is a traditional Chinese dumpling. Often served as dim sum, or a collection of small plates, this recipe features a savory, fragrant blend of shrimp and mushrooms plus fresh ginger, lemongrass, and garlic in soy sauce and sesame oil. Tucked into wonton wrappers and then gently steamed, serve these delicious bites as an appetizer or main dish!
Why We ❤️ Shrimp Shumai Dumplings
My family loves to make traditional takeout recipes at home, such as Hunan beef and Mandarin chicken. Here’s why we love this shrimp shumai recipe:
- Fun! On our trip to Montreal earlier this year for an F1 race, we enjoyed amazing soup dumplings in Chinatown. Our family goes crazy for dumplings – they are little puffs of delicious FUN!!
- Fresh flavor. My family loves dishes made with fresh ginger and garlic, so delicious and fragrant – and there are several more simple, fresh ingredients as well in these dumplings.
- Authentic. This recipe incorporates the traditional method of steaming shrimp shumai to give them the right dim sum texture. Line your steamer with cabbage leaves to prevent them from sticking to the steamer. The leaves will also give them even more flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe – the best shrimp shumai recipe! Find the printable recipe card at the end of this post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Shrimp – Be sure to use raw shrimp. Remove tails and devein, if needed.
- Sugar – A little granulated sugar helps to enhance the natural sweetness of the shrimp.
- Salt – For added savory flavor.
- Baking powder – This alters the pH level of the shrimp to give them a plump, crisp, “snappy” texture.
- Shiitake mushrooms – You can substitute with cremini mushrooms if needed.
- Fresh aromatics – Ginger, garlic, and lemongrass offer delicious flavor and scent.
- Cornstarch – To help thicken the shrimp and mushroom filling.
- Cilantro – Adds fresh, earthy flavor.
- Soy sauce – Offers savory deliciousness.
- Sesame oil – I recommend toasted sesame oil for the best flavor.
- Rice vinegar – This adds a bright, tangy flavor.
- White pepper – Or use black pepper in a pinch.
- Dumpling wrappers – These are often called wonton wrappers – same thing!
- Tobiko – This is an optional garnish. Tobiko is flying fish roe.
- Green onion – For fresh garnish.
More Shrimp Recipes
Shrimp is one of my favorite things to eat! Here are a few of my top shrimp recipes:
How To Make Shrimp Shumai
I’ve outlined the steps you’ll need to take to make shrimp shumai dumplings below. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Season shrimp. Mix the shrimp with sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Rest & rinse. Let the shrimp rest, then rinse and dry them.
- Gather filling ingredients. Place the filling ingredients in a food processor.
- Pulse. Now pulse to combine, until a chunky filling forms.
- Assemble. Once shrimp filling is pulsed into a lightly chunky texture, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling onto the center of a wrapper.
- Wrap & seal. Gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling, leaving the top open, and gently pleat the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
- Steam. Arrange the assembled shumai on a bamboo steamer, add the top, and steam until the shrimp is cooked through.
Variations
Here are some different ideas on how to change up this recipe.
- Use frozen shrimp. Fresh shrimp is the best, but frozen shrimp will always work – it’s what I rely on here in Minnesota! Just be sure to thoroughly thaw the frozen shrimp before you start this recipe.
- Substitute dried shiitake mushrooms. You can use dried shiitake mushrooms instead of fresh if you wish. Soak the dried mushrooms in water for 2 to 3 hours to rehydrate them before proceeding with the recipe.
- Try other fillings. Use this method and swap the shrimp for other proteins. Try chopped or shredded pork, beef, or chicken.
- Make them vegetarian. Skip the seafood altogether and stuff these dumplings with a mix of sauteed vegetables along with the shiitake mushrooms, or add more mushrooms to the filling and simply make mushroom shumai.
- Do ahead: If you want to make shrimp shumai ahead of time, you can assemble the dumplings and then freeze them before cooking them. See my details on how to do this lower down.
What To Serve With Shrimp Shumai Dumplings
This dish makes a wonderful appetizer served simply with a bowl of soy sauce for dipping. Or you can round it out into a fuller meal. Here are a few ways to serve shrimp shumai dumplings:
- With dipping sauce. I like to offer sweet chili sauce as well as soy sauce for dipping.
- Other dumplings. Make a batch of my family’s favorite homemade potstickers and serve them with shrimp shumai.
- More appetizers. Add a bowl of shrimp chips. Or a platter of dragon roll with yummy shrimp tempura inside, or beef negamaki.
Proper Storage
If you have leftover shrimp shumai, lucky you! They make a fun quick lunch or snack. Here’s how to store and reheat them:
- Fridge – Place leftover, cooled shrimp shumai in a single layer in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freezer – If you’d like to make shrimp shumai ahead of time, follow the recipe directions to fill and form the dumplings. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, space out the dumplings on the baking sheet, and place them in the freezer. When the dumplings are frozen, transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 months.
- To reheat – Place the shumai in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water in the bottom, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and reheat in the microwave in 20-second increments until warmed through.
More Asian Recipes To Try
Shrimp Shumai
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated lemongrass
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 20 square dumpling wrappers
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped green onion, garnish
- 2 tablespoons tobiko, optional garnish
Instructions
- Place shrimp in a medium bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, ½ teaspoon of the sea salt, and the baking powder. Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse the shrimp in a colander under running water until the water runs clear. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels.
- In a food processor, pulse marinated shrimp with shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, cornstarch, cilantro, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, remaining ½ tablespoon of sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon of sea salt, and white pepper, until a chunky mixture forms.
- Place a dumpling wrapper on a clean work surface. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of prepared shrimp filling onto center of wrapper. Gather edges of wrapper around the filling, leaving the top open, and gently pleat the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- Heat a large pot of water over medium-high heat until boiling. Arrange the assembled shumai on a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper or cabbage leaves, leaving space between each dumpling. Close the bamboo steamer and place it over a pot of boiling water.
- Steam the shumai for 8-10 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through and the wrappers are translucent.
- Transfer shumai to a serving plate. If desired, garnish with tobiko and green onion. Serve hot with your favorite soy sauce or other desired dipping.
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