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Filled with herbs, veggies, and grilled shrimp, these fresh shrimp spring rolls take some patience to assemble, but they’re so flavorful!
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One of the things I’ve read in self-help business books, absorbed from my favorite podcasts and basically just learned along the way of life is that the most successful people are the ones who delegate.
Delegation = Getting sh*t Done.
Once upon a time I fancied myself a great delegator. I could look at a situation, see the vision of what needed to get done, figure out the most efficient path to achieve it and direct the peeps in my camp to go forth and prosper.But lately, I feel like I’ve lost my knack in finding the track. And it’s left me feeling a little defeated and floundering like a fish out of water.
That said, my husband will still say I’m bossy. I prefer to call it delegating to others by educating them in my view of efficiencies. Okay, I admit it, I’m a nag.So why is it so hard to let others help? To not just do it all yourself? To share those details you’ve learned in the school of hard knocks? Hey, it’s okay to stop being the martyr!
One of the best and worst parts of working as a solopreneur behind the curtain of a 27-inch HD computer screen is exactly that: you work by yourself. You do the drudge work, you own the good with the bad.
But you can also find yourself reverting to that 6-year-old who has to learn how to share—all over again.Because when you share, good things happen.
I’m working on it. I’m forcing myself to get back into the hang of teaching others but leaving the bossy behind. I don’t have ALL of the great ideas—but I do have a few of them—and giving up the reins every once in a while is good. It’s good for me to learn from others and teach what I know too.
Because that’s what bloggers like me do.
So I’m going to roll with this delegation thing. Starting with these hand rolled babies.
Vietnamese spring rolls are essentially a salad in a portable, hand-held and edible delivery device. And with plenty of chopping, assembling and wrapping to be done, they’re the perfect delegating task. BOOM! Delegation task #1: DONE!
Making shrimp spring rolls at home isn’t hard, but it does help to have a teacher share the tips and tricks in the secrets of rolling.This tutorialis super helpful and I turn to them when I find myself forgetting the nuances like cutting the shrimp in half then laying them pretty side down so they wrap all pretty and stuff. Here’s an example.
Especially when you serve them in a hollowed out cucumber boat.BOOM! Another task delegated to my friend Adam. How clever is that? Pretty clever and just another example of delegating and things miraculously happen. By others, not you!
Shrimp Spring Roll Ingredients
This spring roll recipe is incredibly versatile and can be made with different proteins and veggies to use up whatever you have in the fridge. For this particular shrimp spring roll recipe, I used:
- Shrimp
- Olive oil
- Lime zest and juice
- Rice paper wrappers
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Vermicelli noodles
- Veggies
- Fresh herbs
As for the Vietnamese spring roll sauce, I made two! I opted for a homemade peanut sauce and a Nuac Cham dipping sauce, both of which are incredibly easy to make. You don’t have to make both (or either) if you’re not in the mood for dipping sauces.
How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls
To make these fresh shrimp spring rolls, you’ll first need to prepare the shrimp (i.e. shell and remove the tails, etc.). Then drizzle a little olive oil over top, followed by the lime juice and zest, kosher salt, and pepper. Skewer and grill the shrimp, then let them cool completely before assembling the Vietnamese spring rolls.
To make the spring rolls, first soak a rice paper wrapper in warm water for a minute. Then transfer it to a flat surface and top it with fresh herbs and sliced veggies, vermicelli noodles, and grilled shrimp halves. Wrap it all up and cut in half. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Can I Use Dried Herbs Instead of Fresh?
No, dried herbs are much stronger in flavor and are the wrong texture for these fresh spring rolls. Fresh herbs—and an assortment of them—are essential to the flavor. So don’t skimp. I love Thai basil for it’s licorice-ey taste, fresh mint leaves and of course cilantro, which I add to the rolls stem, leaf and all.
Can I Make These with Chicken?
If that’s what you have on hand, go for it! You can make a batch of baked chicken breastson the weekend and slice them up throughout the week to make a tasty spin on these shrimp spring rolls.
Tips for Making Shrimp Spring Rolls
For this Vietnamese spring roll recipe, I cooked my shrimp on the grill because I was craving a nice, broiled char on the little crustaceans. Plus, grilling is just so easy and so fast during summer months. But if you don’t have a grill, sear the shrimp in a frying pan over medium-high heat in a bit of olive oil, turning after 2-3 minutes on each side.
Also, I used metal skewers, but if you use wood, be sure to soak them for about 30 minutes before skewering.
The important part of spring rolls is the combination of crunchy veggies with the slippery rice vermicelli noodles. I switch my veggies in and out depending on what’s in the fridge. For crunch, consider red, orange or yellow bell peppers, jicama, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers and even zucchini.
These rolls should be eaten the day they’re made. Refrigerating overnight can begin to make the rice paper a little tough and not as pliable to the bite. That said, I ate these the next day for lunch, and served them for dinner the next night, and they were still totally delectable, although a wee bit more toothsome.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes to Make
- Shrimp co*cktail
- Peel ‘n Eat Beer Steamed Shrimp
- Saucy Greek Baked Shrimp
- Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
- Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.
4.80 from 5 votes
Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Spring Rolls
Filled with herbs, veggies, and grilled shrimp, these fresh shrimp spring rolls take some patience to assemble, but they're so flavorful!
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Course Main Course
Cuisine vietnamese
Keyword shrimp spring roll
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes minutes
Total Time 19 minutes minutes
Servings 10
Calories 207.52kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp , 16-20 per pound. I prefer Key West pink shrimp because they're super sweet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 10-12 8- inch round rice paper wrappers
- 6 ounces rice or vermicelli noodles , softened in hot water and drained
- 1 red bell pepper , seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots , peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber , peeled, seeded, halved and then thinly sliced
- 2 cups spring green lettuces
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- ½ cup Thai basil leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- Peanut and Nuac Cham Dipping Sauces
For the Peanut Sauce
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
For the Nuac Cham Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 3-4 limes , juiced
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons grated carrot
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
Shell and remove the tails from the shrimp and rinse. Place in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, lime juice and lime zest and season with the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Skewer the shrimp and heat the grill to medium heat. Brush the grill with oil or cooking spray and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side then remove and let cool.
When cooled, remove the shrimp from the skewers and slice in half from head to tail and set aside.
Fill a large plate or pyrex dish with warm water, dip a rice wrapper into the warm water and completely submerge the wrapper for 1 minute. Set on the wrapper on a clean, flat surface and arrange a few slices of the veggies and herbs on the bottom ⅓ of the wrapper then top with a few lettuce leaves, a small handful of the vermicelli noodles then more veggie slices and herbs.
Place 3 shrimp halves, grilled side down, on the rice paper just above the pile of the vermicelli and veggie pile. Fold the bottom of rice paper over vermicelli and veggie pile and roll over to form a cylinder. Fold in the two sides of the cylinder to make a package and keep folding over until it resembles a burrito shaped roll. Cut in half or in thirds, and serve with peanut and nuac cham dipping sauces.
For the Peanut Sauce
Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Serve at room temperature.
For the Nuac Cham Dipping Sauce
Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until sugar has dissolved. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
These rolls should be eaten the day they’re made. Refrigerating overnight can begin to make the rice paper a little tough and not as pliable to the bite.
Nutrition
Calories: 207.52kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.85g | Protein: 12.69g | Fat: 3.88g | Saturated Fat: 0.59g | Cholesterol: 114.92mg | Sodium: 1011.22mg | Potassium: 276.81mg | Fiber: 2.72g | Sugar: 7.61g | Vitamin A: 3243.53IU | Vitamin C: 28.45mg | Calcium: 104.19mg | Iron: 1.95mg
More Vietnamese Recipes You’ll Love
- Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)
- Fresh Vietnamese Noodle Salad
- Chicken Satay with Almond Dipping Sauce
- Vietnamese Dressing and Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham)
- Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad Bowls
Craving more life balance, less stress, and better health? Check out my Nourished Planner, the daily planner to help create simplicity and under-schedule your life.
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