Vietnamese style Spring Rolls with Cured Salmon (VIDEO)

These spring rolls are made with cured salmon, vegetables, herbs and rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper. They are called Vietnamese spring rolls and are traditionally served with a dip made of fish sauce, but they’re great with Probiotic Peanut Butter Sauce as well. 

Last week I published the recipe for how to make your own cured salmon, with a video, so go ahead and take a tour. Today's blog is about how to use up your cured salmon in the best possible way: creating delicious spring rolls. It's a great way to make a healthy but well pleasing fun appetizer for a crowd.

Start your new year right with healthy eating habits.

WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE SPRING ROLLS WITH SALMON?

Rice paper - plain is usually a white color, but for fun, this time I used pink (colored with beets) and yellow (colored with pumpkin).

Rice vermicelli (bean noodles) - provides added texture

Cured salmon - I used homemade, but it's up to you and any salmon will work.

Herbs - cilantro, chives, scallions, Thai basil, parsley, mint, Italian basil, etc.

Raw veggies - any veggies such as carrots, daikon, broccoli stems, cucumber, etc., any kind you like that are crunchy and can easily be cut into sticks. Use a Mandoline for this job.

Seaweed - this is optional, but it does provide extra iodine to our diet, which is always a great idea. 

HOW TO MAKE VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS

• First of all, set up your work surface. I usually roll them on top of a chopping board.

• Get your all ingredients ready.

• Once your ingredients are prepped, the assembling fun begins as rice sheets are softened in hot water and used as wrapping paper.

• Have fun with this process and remember the rolls don't have to look the same.

CAN YOU MAKE FRESH SPRING ROLLS AHEAD?

Although you can prepare the filling and sauces up to 2 days ahead, I highly recommend that you consume these shrimp spring rolls within several hours of making them. If you refrigerate spring rolls overnight, the rice paper hardens, making them difficult to chew. You can microwave spring rolls on high for 30 seconds, but the texture won’t be the same as freshly made rolls. Another issue is that the rice paper tears over time, especially around the shrimp. Therefore, for optimal texture and appearance, eat the spring rolls the same day you make them.

Notes on the sauce for Vietnamese style Spring Rolls with Cured Salmon:

This wonderful dipping sauce is fantastic on any Asian protein or even as a salad dressing. I always make more than I need for this recipe, so feel free to cut in half if you don't want to have leftovers. This recipe is adapted from my previous post for Spring Rolls with Shrimp.

Feel free to modify the spices and sauces according to your taste bud preference. This time I had to skip on the chili garlic sauce simply because I had run out of it. For faster and easier processing, use a blender. I highly  recommend that you don't skip on the black bean garlic sauce.

This gives extra umami flavor while providing you with a great amount of probiotics.

Let's do it....

Prep time: 15 minutes

Making time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Author: Inna of innichkachef.com 

Servings: 7-14 rolls

Roll Ingredients

7 sheets of rice paper (I used pink and yellow in the video)

¾ pound cured salmon

1 bundle rice vermicelli 

1 small cucumber, sliced into matchsticks

1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks

1 daikon or other radishes (I used baby turnips in the video)

A few sprigs of cilantro, mint, Thai basil, parsley, etc.

2-3 green onions, or chives chopped (optional)

2-3 sheets of nori seaweed, or other seaweed such as kelp, etc.

Dipping Sauce Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

1 clove of garlic, grated (I like to use this zester)

1 inch of ginger root, grated (I like to use this zester)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons regular soy sauce 

½ teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

2 tablespoons raw honey 

1 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce 

Directions

• In a bowl large enough to fit one sheet of rice paper, add hot (not boiling) water.

• Place one sheet of rice paper in the hot water for 20-30 seconds. When it's soft, take it out and place it flat on your work surface.

• Place a piece or two of cured salmon, a small amount of noodles, veggies, seaweed and herbs on the sheet of rice paper.

• Gently pull the bottom of the roll over the filling and carefully tuck in the filling as you go.

• Place the finished roll on your serving platter, cutting it in half if you wish. Try to keep the rolls from touching each other.

• Repeat these steps until you have used all the rice paper.

• Add all the ingredients for the peanut butter sauce to a small bowl and whisk together or use a blender cup.

• Dip the spring rolls into the sauce and enjoy!