Wild Shrimp & Diver Scallop Shu Mai

Most normal households do not have leftover scallops idling in the fridge, but anything is possible when Kam is cooking. Personally, I'm not big on left-over scallops, I like to eat them immediately after cooking because I find shell-fish, mollusks and bi-valves a waste to re-heat, unless you enjoy chomping on rubber; delicious rubber, but rubber nonetheless.  Anyways, I thought it would be delicious to mix them with fresh shrimp and some other ingredients, and then wrap it up in a wonton.

shrimp & scallop "shu mai" with Killa Kam dipping sauce

I'm aware that this is not the most composed picture, but it is important for me to let my adoring public know that these dishes are made in a real kitchen, eaten by real people. I'm not a food stylist, and I am not going to play with my food endlessly in hopes of photographing it at the best angle- I want to eat it, damn it! The messy sauce bowl was the exact vessel Kam conjured the sauce up in, and I wasn't going to waste one drop of it on a napkin by wiping the sides of that bowl! Best believe we practically licked that bowl clean.

Wild Shrimp & Sweet Scallop Shu Mai

Ingredients:

30 Wonton Wrappers

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water [egg wash]

10 medium sized Shrimp [21-25/lb ct]

5 large Diver Scallops, quartered

1 clove of Garlic, smashed, peeled & roughly chopped

1 inch piece of Ginger, peeled & roughly chopped

3 Scallions, whites only, thinly sliced.

1.5 tsp Rice Vinegar

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil, plus more for cooking

1.5 Tbsp Soy Sauce

First: Make the filling.

• In the base of a large food processor combine the garlic, ginger, vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, shrimp and scallops and pulse until the ingredients are combined and the proteins are coarsely chopped.

• Transfer to a bowl and fold in the scallions.

Next: Fill the wontons.

This is the time to nominate volunteers and enhance your delegating skills.

1. Place a few wonton wrappers on a clean cutting board at a time. Spoon a large teaspoonful of the shrimp & scallop filling into the middle of each wonton.

2. Using a brush, or your finger, lightly coat the perimeter of the wonton with egg wash.

3. Fold the wonton, corner-to-corner and lightly press to seal. Then, fold the edges of the wonton over, inward, about 1/6 inch,  to reinforce the seal.

Now: it's time to cook.

1. Have a small cup of water on hand to add to the pan. 

2. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat; once it is hot add about 1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

3. The amount of dumplings you can sear per batch is dependent upon the size of your pan, and it is important that there is space between the dumplings so that they will sear instead of steam.

4. Allow the dumpling to cook for about 1.5 minutes and then flip them over using tongs. [If the dumplings are sticking then they are not ready to turn, or the pan was not heated enough before they were placed in it.]

5a. Once you flip the dumplings, carefully pour a little bit of water into the bottom of the pan [roughly 2-3 Tbsp, and be very careful because there is a good chance that any residual oil in the pan will spatter a bit when it comes into contact with the water] and reduce the heat to medium. Allow to cook for 2.5- 3 minutes and then transfer to a serving platter. 

5b. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel or kitchen rag, and repeat steps 2 through 5 until all of the wontons are cooked.

6. Serve with Killa Kam's Dipping Sauce

seared, flipped & steaming.

Killa Kam's Dipping Sauce

This sauce accompaniment is a much tastier compliment than the traditional soy sauce option. 

You will need:

1.5 Tbsp Light Mayo

1.5 Tbsp Sriracha [use less depending on your's and your company's heat tolerance]

1.5 Tbsp 0% fat Greek Yogurt

the juice of half a Lime; this must be fresh squeezed lime juice, not the stuff in those little plastic lime grenades that are idling around the produce department at the supermarket

Mix all of the ingredients together until homogenous and then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with your dumplings.

Another unimpressive photo... I was too excited to dig in!