These Tempura Shrimp Stuffed Endive Leaves (with sweet chili sauce) are little ‘boats’ stuffed with deliciousness! A playful appetizer that hits both sweet and spicy notes. Oh, and that crunch!!
Stuffed Endive Appetizer
This recipe is a take on an appetizer I tried once at a famous Japanese restaurant around me. I had never tried endive leaves before but I fell in love!
Endive leaves are a leafy vegetable that are crisp and slightly bitter. They are very sturdy and shaped like a boat making them ideal for stuffing!
You can find endive leaves in most produce departments by the lettuce.
Endive Boat Tips:
- Endive leaves are not flat on the bottom so your boats may not lay flat after stuffing. I suggest laying some romaine lettuce leaves on the bottom of a plate to act as anchors. They will help hold your endive boats in place!
- You can also try trimming off the bottom of your leaves to make a flat surface!
- Another awesome serving option if your boats are not holding up is to serve them on crushed ice! The boats will stay cold and the ice will help to hold them upright!
How To Make Your Stuffed Endive Boats Ahead of Time!
The best option is to fry your shrimp as early as possible. Then reheat as guests arrive and stuff your endive boats last minute. You don’t want to reheat your endive leaves because they will lose their crunch!
Another option is to reheat your shrimp and then place all the shrimp on large plate. Guests can then make their OWN boats by taking an endive leaf, adding a few shrimp and then topping with the chili sauce which would be served on the side.
Sweet Chili Shrimp Sauce
Sweet chili sauce is especially popular in Japanese recipes. To make this recipe as easy as possible, I chose to use a store-bought sweet chili sauce.
Some store-bought items I don’t go near…but most of the sweet chili sauces they sell are delicious and a huge time saver especially when you’re planning a party!
It’s not too spicy with just the right amount of sweetness. I love adding chili sauce to not only shrimp but chicken and veggies too!
If you like your food HOT, just add some Sriracha to the sauce before tossing in the shrimp!
Also, don’t leave out the chives! They add a slight onion flavor which is needed.
Balancing The Bitterness
Endive leaves are great vessels for serving a lot of things! They are slightly bitter and offer a great crunch!
Over time, I have learned that an acidic component is needed to balance out the bitterness of a dish.
Since most if not all sweet chili sauces have an acidic component, like vinegar, in them, I thought it would be a good complement to the bitter endive.
If you simply don’t like endive or you can’t find endive heads, you can substitute with one of these:
- Bibb lettuce
- Boston lettuce
- Small romaine head** (I recommend these! They are cheaper and sturdy!)
All of these are very easy to find and neither bitter!
Whatever you decide to choose as your “vessel” I promise your guests will enjoy them!
Keep in mind, you can always just serve the shrimp by itself with mini toothpicks! Delish!
Here are some other fun appetizers you may like:
Easy Puff Pastry Margherita Pizza
Puff Pastry Sausage Bites with Creamy Dijon Sauce
Oven Baked Chicken Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce
Grilled Lamb Chops With Tzatziki
Tempura Shrimp Stuffed Endive Leaves (with sweet chili sauce)
Tempura Shrimp Stuffed Endive Leaves (with sweet chili sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Peeled and Cleaned Shrimp ((about 1 lb.))
- 2 Small Endive Heads ((or romaine heads))
- 2 Cups Prepared Tempura Batter* ((the boxed mix is great))
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Chives
- 3 Cups Vegetable Oil ((about 2" deep))
- Salt and Pepper
Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1 1/2 Cup Sweet Chili Sauce* ((store-bought))
- 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Mix sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and chives in large bowl and set aside. (You'll be tossing the shrimp into this bowl later)
- Heat oil to 350 degrees F in wok or small sauce pan. You may need more or less oil depending upon the size and depth of your pan.
- While heating, chop shrimp in halves or thirds (depending upon their size) and season with salt and pepper.
- In large bowl, prepare tempura batter according to its directions. (You will be using about 2 cups of the dry batter). Keep in mind, the thicker the batter, the thicker/crunchier the result.
- Toss chopped shrimp in tempura batter and then gradually drop shrimp (one at a time) into the hot oil. If you add multiple at once, they will stick together! Do not over crowd the pan!! Take you time.
- After a minute or two, the shrimp should turn a nice golden brown. Remove and let drain on paper towels or rack. Repeat until all shrimp are fried. (This should take no more than 10 min.)
- Once all of the shrimp is fried, add to the sweet chili sauce and toss to coat.
- Chop off endive stem and peel apart leaves. Rinse off and dry them.
- Spread leaves onto a serving platter and spoon the shrimp until each "boat" is full.
- Sprinkle with more chives and serve!
Recipe Notes
- Bibb lettuce
- Boston lettuce
- Small romaine leaves* (recommended)
Grandma Ginny
This was definitely a first try- dry run for me. As they say, not quite fit for viewing, however, definitely ready for our tasting delight. I used salad shrimp - no cutting them. Had never used tempura batter, but 1 cup of mix for about a half pound of the shrimp was just right. Aleka suggested adding a bit of honey to the sauce since I couldn’t find any sweet chili sauce. That worked well. Could not find endive heads and since they looked kind of “boaty,” used arugala. which was not strong enough.My first attempt at the Sweet Chili Shrimp Tempura Boats was a bit messy, but absolutely delicious. Will try them again and be better organized.
Bite Sized Kitchen
Thanks Grandma! The small romaine heads would have been my next choice for a similar presentation and sturdy vessel! So happy you thought they were delicious!