Shrimp Spring Roll Recipe

What's the difference between an egg roll and a spring roll? Well, one pretty big one is the fact that the former is fried, and the latter is often not cooked at all. Okay, some of the filling ingredients are cooked (the shrimp and the noodles, at least), but once the rolls are rolled up, they're ready to eat. Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone has created a version that is "fresh and light," adding that her spring rolls make "a great appetizer or light lunch."

While the recipe itself might appear labor-intensive (it does involves multiple steps), Rapone tells us she finds making these "as easy as assembling a salad, especially when using shrimp that is already cooked." These rolls are similar to the Vietnamese style of spring rolls, although Vietnamese ones often include pork in addition to the shrimp and are typically served with a fish-sauce based condiment called nước chấm. Rapone's version instead uses a hoisin- and peanut butter-based sauce. "I really do like that this version has ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery store without a need to go to a specialty market," she says. 

So, are you ready to roll?

For the rolls, you'll need spring roll wrappers (made with rice paper); Rapone recommends having spares on hand in case any of them tear. The filling is made with rice vermicelli, Boston lettuce (or any similar leafy green), carrots, mint leaves, cilantro, cucumbers, and pre-cooked shrimp, along with sesame oil and ginger. Rapone favors Persian cucumbers as these don't need to be skinned or seeded, but you can use another variety if you don't mind the extra prep work. As for the shrimp, go for medium-sized, as anything too large could make it difficult to roll the spring rolls.

To make Rapone's dipping sauce, you'll need hoisin, crunchy peanut butter, and rice vinegar. Smooth peanut butter works too, so there's no need to go out and buy a second jar if that's what you have. But if that's the case, you may wish to add a handful of chopped peanuts. "The crunch is nice with the rolls," Rapone says.

There's actually quite a bit of prep work that needs to be done for this recipe. Fortunately, once you've completed it, actually assembling the rolls is a breeze.

For starters, mix the hoisin, peanut butter, water, and vinegar together in a bowl to create the sauce. Make this first and let it sit so the flavors can blend while you get on with the rest of the process. As for the other ingredients, slice the shrimp in half lengthwise; cut or tear the thick stems out of the lettuce and cut each leaf into thirds; slice the cucumbers into matchsticks; make sure your carrots are peeled and shredded; pick the mint and cilantro leaves off the stems.

Almost done! Mix the sesame oil with some grated ginger in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds. This will help infuse the oil with the aromatic, warming flavor of the ginger.

Put the noodles into a colander, then place the colander over a big bowl. Pour about 2 quarts of boiled water over the noodles. Allow the noodles to steep in the hot water until they soften (this should take 4 to 6 minutes). Drain the noodles, rinse them with cold water, then toss in the ginger and sesame oil mix. Put the noodles in the fridge to cool off for a few minutes.

Now it's time to put together the spring rolls, working one at a time. Start by dipping a rice paper wrapper into cool water for 15 to 20 seconds so that it becomes pliable. Shake off the excess water, then gently place it on a damp towel to dry off. Place a lettuce leaf onto the lower half of the wrapper, then add some of the seasoned noodles and chopped vegetables onto the lettuce.

Fold the bottom part of the wrappers up to cover the vegetables, then put 4 pieces of shrimp on each wrapper. "You want the cut side [of the shrimp] up, facing you, so the pretty side is touching the rice paper," Rapone advises. If your shrimp end up facing the wrong way, though, no worries; the spring rolls will still look pretty and taste great. Sprinkle the shrimp with mint and cilantro, then fold the wrapper sides in and finish rolling up the spring rolls. Repeat until you've used up all the shrimp, leaving you with 12 spring rolls.

In addition to Rapone's hoisin-peanut dipping sauce, you could whip up a quick nước chấm by mixing equal parts lemon or lime juice with fish sauce, then sweetening with sugar to taste and seasoning with chopped garlic and chiles.