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Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Ball Soup

3.3

(3)

Two bowls of shrimp dumpling soup on yellow tablecloth.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams

This easy, vibrant soup is inspired by a hot pot dinner I enjoyed recently in Flushing, New York. The server dropped a scoop of minced shrimp into a simmering broth and advised us to eat the shrimp balls immediately. They were meltingly tender and so simple. 

Here I fortify store-bought chicken broth with fish sauce and aromatics—lemongrass, scallion, garlic, and ginger—to produce a deeply flavorful (but also quick and painless) base. Lean on your food processor to whiz together a shrimp mince in no time; as the seasoned shrimp balls gently poach, they soak up the soup flavors while simultaneously imparting their own sweetness to the broth. Bok choy is used here, but spinach or watercress works just as well. A generous squeeze of fresh lime at the end wakes up all of the wonderful flavors.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1

lemongrass stalk, bottom third only, tough outer layers removed

3

scallions, thinly sliced, divided

4

garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 2 finely chopped

1

2" piece ginger, peeled, half left whole, half finely chopped

3

Tbsp. soy sauce, divided

2

Tbsp. fish sauce

2

tsp. honey

1

quart low-sodium chicken broth

1

lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined

1

Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

1

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

3

heads of baby bok choy (about 8 oz.), leaves separated, torn

2

Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom third only, tough outer layers removed, 2 scallions, thinly sliced, 2 garlic cloves, smashed, one 1" piece ginger, peeled, left whole, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 2 tsp. honey in a medium pot. Pour in 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth and 1½ cups water and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, pulse 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, in a food processor until mostly smooth; transfer to a small bowl. Mix in 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, one 1" piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 Tbsp. water, and remaining 1 scallion, thinly sliced, until thoroughly combined.

    Step 3

    Using damp hands, roll shrimp mixture between your palms into golf-ball-size balls (about 1½"); transfer to a plate as you go.

    Step 4

    Remove lemongrass and ginger from broth; discard. Gently drop shrimp balls into broth; add 3 heads of baby bok choy (about 8 oz.), leaves separated, torn. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until shrimp balls are opaque throughout and bok choy is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice and remaining 1 Tbsp. soy sauce; remove from heat.

    Step 5

    Ladle soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges.

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Reviews (3)

Back to TopTriangle

  • We really liked this... with a few, simple alterations! Based on the review that the shrimp balls fell apart in the broth, I did a search for other shrimp ball soup recipes and found that others add cornstarch and/or egg white. So here is how I made the shrimp balls: First, I added all the aromatics to the food processor and blitzed until well chopped. Next I added the shrimp, salt, 1 egg white and 2 tsp of cornstarch. Blitzed again until the shrimp were pasty and everything was thoroughly combined (omit the water). The formed easily into balls, didn't fall apart at all in the broth, and had a lovely light mouth-feel. Next time, I may try swapping a different spice for the lemongrass (star anise? maybe just white pepper?), or may simply leave it out. I think it gave a hint of a flavor that didn't sit right with me for the soup. But that part is totally personal preference. We also added rice vermicelli noodles to our bowls which bulked up the meal a bit and added a nice texture.

    • Abby

    • Minneapolis, MN

    • 10/25/2023

  • For me this is a strong 3 stars, 3.5 The broth tastes delicious once the shrimp balls cooked in it. I added a bit of neutral oil when forming the balls and let them sit in the fridge for 30 min to make sure they don’t split in the broth. Also added basil in the mix and some old bay spices

    • Nadine

    • Montreal, QC

    • 1/31/2023

  • Flavors are good. The texture of the shrimp balls, unfortunately, was not — they hold together (barely), but are just mush in the mouth. I suspect that an egg white would do wonders here, but I’m not going to be trying these again to find out.

    • Achoo

    • NY, NY

    • 1/2/2023