Crispy Tuna Wantons

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Crispy tuna wantons

Salat Tuna

Serves 2 Cooks in 30 minutes Difficulty EASY

I love making this one for my returning guests here in Khao Lak! When students come back to my Thai cooking class for a second or third time, they’ve usually already learned how to make spring rolls with me, so I like to teach them something a little different for their crispy Thai snack. These Crispy Tuna Wantons have become my go-to alternative – same lovely crunch as a spring roll, but a completely different way of making it, and a completely different flavour too.

Instead of rolling and wrapping, we fry the wanton wrapper on its own first, using a ladle to shape it into a crispy little bowl. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s such a fun technique to learn, and it always gets a laugh in class the first time a wanton pops out of the oil looking like a tiny crispy cup! Then we fill each one with a zesty tuna mixture – tin tuna mixed with lemongrass, shallots, chilli, lime and a touch of mayonnaise, so you get this lovely balance of crispy, tangy, spicy and creamy all in one bite.

It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s a great one to make with tinned tuna you’ve probably already got in the cupboard. I hope you enjoy learning this one as much as my returning guests do!

Ingredients

  • 10 wanton pieces
  • 1 tin tuna, drained
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
  • 2 shallots, finely sliced
  • 1 spring onion, sliced
  • 3 chilli, sliced
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 lime
  • 1 sprig coriander
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Crispy tuna wanton ingredients
What you will need

Method

Deep frying the wantons
Deep fry the wanton pieces to form crispy bowls
  1. In a bowl, add the sugar, fish sauce, the juice from the lime, the shallots and the chilli. Mix well until all the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Drain any excess water from the tuna and mix it into the bowl. Add in the coriander leaves, spring onion and mayonnaise, and mix well. Leave to one side.
  3. Heat some oil in a wok or pan for deep frying. Place a wanton wrapper over a ladle, then lower the ladle into the hot oil so the wrapper is submerged. Hold it there until it turns golden and crispy and holds its shape as a little bowl, then carefully release it from the ladle. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, draining each one well and setting it on some kitchen roll to cool a little.
  4. Fill each crispy wanton bowl with the tuna mix.

To Serve

Serve with some extra mayonnaise on the side for dipping.

Hope you enjoy my Salat Tuna, it’s such a fun one to make once you’ve mastered the wonton bowls! Khop Khun Ka from Apple 🍎 Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak.