Every family gathering is not a family gathering unless my aunt Helen brings her delicious egg rolls – a recipe that I have unsuccessfully been able to get out of her…
Regardless, these egg rolls bring smiles to everyone who sees them. I thought I should try to find a recipe that switches up this family favorite. Enter the shrimp spring roll.
These do take up a good amount of time to make, so plan ahead. There’s a lot of prepping before you start cooking, so I would suggest cutting, chopping, and mincing everything first.
Shrimp Spring Rolls
- 2 (pounds) shrimp
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- Dash of apple pie spice
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 small red Thai chiles, seeded and diced
- 3 cups of Napa cabbage, shredded
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 30 egg roll wrappers
- Oil, for frying
Directions:
- Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Cook and peel shrimp. Dice.
- Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over high heat just until smoking. Add the apple pie spice, garlic, chiles and stir-fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the diced shrimp and cook for 1 minute.
- Turn the heat off under the pan and add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, and cilantro, tossing until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the shrimp mixture onto a small baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes.
- Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place a spring roll wrapper on a clean work surface and place 1/4 cup of the mixture on each wrapper and fold in each side. Paint the edges with the egg wash and roll up tightly. Use additional egg wash to seal the wrapper closed, if needed. Set aside and cover. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
- Fill a saucepan halfway with oil and heat to 360 degrees F. Drop the spring rolls carefully, one by one, into the pot. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined platter.
- Once the spring rolls have cooled slightly, cut them in half on the diagonal and serve warm.
