Makes 12 pieces

This festive appetizer, which is great for a Fourth of July gathering or Chinese New Year celebration, looks like a firecracker. In China, firecrackers light up the sky on New Year’s Day. Prepare it a day ahead and save the frying step for just after your guests arrive.

Ingredients:

12 large shrimp in the shell
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt, divided
4 sheets spring roll wrappers
24 carrot strips (3 x 1/4-inch)
1 egg, beaten
3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

For dipping sauce:
1/4-cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs. hot pepper sauce

Instructions:

1. Removing the shell and leaving the tail intact, make a deep cut lengthwise down the back of each shrimp and wash out the sand vein.
   
2. Place warm water in a bowl and add the salt, stir to dissolve.
   
3. Place the shrimp in the salt water and swirl, leave in the salt water for five minutes, then rinse with cold water, drain and pat dry on paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt.
   
4. Cut each spring roll wrapper into thirds, making three long, narrow strips.
   
5. Place the carrot strips in a small bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt and set aside.
   
6. Brush the top of each shrimp with egg. Place two carrot strips in the slit of each shrimp.
   
7. Brush each spring roll strip with egg and roll each shrimp up tightly in the spring roll strip, with the egg holding it together. The tail of the shrimp should be protruding from one end and the carrot from the other, so the shrimp resembles a firecracker!
   
8. Continue the process until all wrappers are rolled with the shrimp and carrots.
   
9. To make the dipping sauce, mix the mayonnaise and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
   
10. To fry the shrimp, heat the vegetable oil in a wok to 350F. Fry the shrimp rolls until golden brown, about two minutes, turning two to three times.
    
11. Drain on paper towels and serve with dipping sauce.