Asian Shrimp and Pork Meatballs
These Asian Shrimp and Pork Meatballs evoke memories of Sunday dim sum. The combination of ground pork, shrimp, and the Chinese mirepoix of garlic, ginger, and green onions come together for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Serve with rice, noodles, or your favorite Asian-inspired side dishes.
Read on to learn all the tips and tricks for making shrimp meatballs. Or grab your food processor or a really sharp knife, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make meatballs!
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Ingredients
There’s an easy-to-remember starting ratio for how to make meatballs and meatloaves. For every pound of ground or minced meat, use one egg and one half cup of breadcrumbs or equivalent. Pureed shrimp substitutes for egg in this recipe.
Ground pork and minced pork are essentially the same thing, although technically they are processed differently (i.e. ground versus finely cut). “Ground pork” is the more common terminology in the U.S. and “minced pork” is used elsewhere.
Tip from the wise quacker: if you have a picky eater or you are uncertain how to cook meat, using ground meat (or grinding or mincing it yourself) can be a great entry point. Make meatballs or meatloaves in your favorite flavor combinations.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Fry these pork and shrimp meatballs to get a crispier meatball crust.
- If you don’t have a food processor, just chop the garlic, ginger, and shrimp very fine.
Recipe tips and tricks
I use my food processor probably every other day to make basil pesto, chop cheese for my cavatappi mac and cheese, or make pie crust dough or rough puff pastry. If you own a food processor, use it to chop the garlic and ginger, then add the shrimp to the food processor and blitz until the shrimp is finely chopped.
Add the garlic, ginger, and shrimp and all of the remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Combine the shrimp and pork mixture gently with your hands.
Lightly oil a baking sheet or roasting pan or layer with parchment paper. This prevents your meatballs from sticking.
Use a spoon or a #40 cookie scoop to scoop two tablespoons of the meatball mixture into your hands and roll it into balls. A cookie scoop helps you make meatballs of uniform size that will cook in about the same time.
Bake about 15 minutes until the internal temperature of your Asian pork meatballs is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve immediately.
What to serve with shrimp and pork meatballs
- Make a homemade dim sum.
- Serve with rice and an Asian-flavored dressing over purple cabbage slaw or carrot salad.
- Steam or stir fry some vegetables and serve over noodles.
- Use leftover meatballs in a grain bowl or a meatball wrap.
- Drink with a dry martini, glass of Prosecco, or a rose syrup French 75.
Do you love meatball dinners? Check out more options for meatballs and what to serve with meatballs for dinner.
Recipe FAQs
While you can test whether meat is cooked in other ways – by cutting into it or by poking it with your finger, the easiest and safest way to check is with a thermometer. The USDA says to cook ground poultry to 165 degrees and other ground meats to 160 degrees.
Leftover meatballs freeze well. First blot off any oil with a paper towel and then freeze the lot in a freezer bag with all the air removed. Reheat in the oven or in a steamer basket.
No, these meatballs are only inspired by Chinese flavors. You can see other Asian-inspired recipes I’ve created like this pulled duck breast, Peking Duck-inspired ground duck meatloaf, or these purple ube crinkle cookies.
Related meatball recipes
Check out other Ugly Duckling Bakery meatballs like:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Shrimp and Pork Meatballs
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- vegetable oil or spray for the pan or use parchment paper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- ½ pound raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, rinsed in cold water, and drained
- 1 pound ground or minced pork
- ¾ cup panko or other dried breadcrumbs
- 4 green onions, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or Szechuan pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray or oil a roasting pan with vegetable oil or line with parchment.vegetable oil or spray for the pan
- Add the ginger and garlic in the bowl of the food processor and process until chopped. Scrape down the bowl of the processor if necessary.2 cloves garlic, 1 inch fresh ginger
- Add the shrimp to the food processor and process until the shrimp is finely chopped.½ pound raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, rinsed in cold water, and drained
- Add the shrimp mixture to a medium bowl with all of the other ingredients, and use your hands to combine until well mixed.1 pound ground or minced pork, ¾ cup panko or other dried breadcrumbs, 4 green onions, sliced thin, 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or Szechuan pepper
- Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to form golf ball-sized meatballs and place them in the pan.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. I usually shake the pan once or twice during that time to get more even browning.
Notes
- The mixture should be combined gently with your hands (no need to knead!) and rolled to form balls.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to get meatballs of generally the same size for cooking consistency.
- Parchment paper or a little oil prevents the meatballs from sticking to the pan.
Nutrition
Looking for dinner inspiration, classic recipes and new seasonal favorites?
Aka “crack” meatballs. Holy wow, these are sooooo tasty.
So glad you liked them. You should definitely also try the BBQ meatballs I recently shared.