Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

I want to be clear upfront because the name “spring roll” gets used for two very different dishes. These are the soft, cold, rice paper rolls you see at Vietnamese restaurants, not the crispy fried Filipino lumpia or the deep fried Chinese egg rolls. Nothing here goes in hot oil except the shrimp, and even that is a quick poach. The rice paper stays soft, the filling stays cold, and the whole roll is meant to be eaten the same day you wrap it.

I first started making these at home after years of ordering them at Vietnamese spots in our neighborhood. The restaurant version is usually a simple shrimp and herb roll, but I wanted more taste and a little more chew, so I started adding a small amount of cooked ground pork tucked behind the lettuce. I like the addition because it adds more taste and texture, but you can skip it and the rolls still work, or swap in chicken spring rolls with peanut sauce on another night if you want a fully different protein.

My version walks through poaching the shrimp, browning the ground pork with a splash of Shaoxing wine, julienning the carrot, picking the herbs, and laying everything out plate by plate so the rolling part is quick. The two sauces come together in one bowl each while the proteins cool. It takes me 55 minutes total, most of it prep, and the rolling itself goes fast once the table is set up. I encourage you to make this recipe on a warm day when the kitchen is already too hot for a stir fry and you will see why I absolutely love this dish in my summer.

Ingredients

Below are all the ingredients I use to make this easy Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls recipe.

Shrimp: I use peeled and deveined shrimp, poached just until they curl and turn pink, then sliced in half lengthwise so each half lays flat against the rice paper with the pink side showing through.

Optional ground pork: I cook ground pork in a small pan with a teaspoon of peanut oil, a pinch of salt, and a splash of Shaoxing wine to season it. Ground beef or ground chicken works the same way. You can skip the pork entirely and the rolls still hold together because the lettuce and avocado give you the body.

Rice paper wrappers: Look for 22 cm (8.5 inch) dried rice paper at an Asian market or on Amazon. Sizes vary, so check the package. If you only have smaller wrappers, the rolls just turn out smaller.

Lettuce and fresh herbs: Iceberg or bibb lettuce gives you the crunch and protects the rice paper from tearing. For herbs I use a mix of basil, cilantro, mint, and chives, but you do not need all four. One herb is enough if that is what is in the fridge.

Avocado and carrot: Thinly sliced avocado adds the creamy layer in the middle of the roll, and julienned carrot adds crunch and color. The avocado is optional, but if you skip it I would not skip the pork too, because then the roll loses its richer side.

Sesame sauce: Stir together Chinese sesame paste (or natural unsweetened peanut butter), sugar, soy sauce, and Chinkiang vinegar. Rice vinegar works if you do not have Chinkiang.

Nuoc cham: Sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, minced garlic, and Thai bird’s eye chilis combined with a few teaspoons of water. Fish sauce strength varies a lot by brand, so taste before serving and adjust with more water or sugar.

How to Make

1. Poach the shrimp: Bring a small pot of water to a boil with a large pinch of salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute, until they turn pink and curl. Drain and let them cool, then slice each shrimp in half lengthwise and set aside.

2. Cook the optional ground pork: Heat the peanut oil in a medium pan over medium high heat. Add the pork and break it apart so the chunks stay small. Stir occasionally until browned, then sprinkle with salt and add the Shaoxing wine. Keep cooking until the liquid has evaporated and the meat is cooked through. Transfer to a plate to cool.

3. Prep the rest of the filling: While the proteins cool, slice the avocado thinly, julienne the carrot, separate the lettuce leaves, and pick the herb leaves off the stems. Lay everything on plates around the work surface so it is within arm’s reach when you start wrapping.

4. Make the sesame sauce: Combine the sesame paste, sugar, soy sauce, and Chinkiang vinegar in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. If the paste is too thick, add a few drops of water at a time and stir until the sauce drops cleanly off a spoon.

5. Make the nuoc cham: Combine the sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and chilis in a small bowl with 4 teaspoons of water. Taste and adjust with more water or sugar depending on the strength of your fish sauce.

6. Set up the rolling station: Fill a shallow, wide dish (a fry pan, large dinner plate, or pie dish all work) with about an inch of warm water. Set up a clean cutting board next to the water dish. Have the filling plates close by.

7. Soften one wrapper at a time: Take one rice paper wrapper and pull it through the warm water slowly 3 or 4 times, rotating it if your dish is smaller than the wrapper. You want it pliable but still slightly stiff. It will keep absorbing water as you fill it, so do not over soak. Lay the wrapper flat on the cutting board.

8. Build the bottom third: Mentally divide the wrapper into thirds and leave 1.5 inches of space on the top and bottom edges and 2 inches on the sides. On the third closest to you, lay a piece of lettuce, then spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of cooked ground pork into the center of the lettuce. Fold the lettuce over the pork so the meat is wrapped, then turn it folded side down.

9. Build the middle layer: In the middle of the wrapper, lay a few slices of avocado at an angle, evenly spaced. On top of the avocado add a layer of julienned carrot and a few herb leaves.

10. Place the shrimp: On the top third of the wrapper, lay 3 shrimp halves pink side down, evenly spaced. This is the side that will show through when the roll is finished.

11. Roll it up: Fold the bottom edge of the wrapper up and over the lettuce and pork. Tuck both sides in tightly. Tuck a small sprig of herbs at the edge so it pokes out one end. Continue rolling firmly up over the shrimp and press the loose end of rice paper to seal.

12. Repeat and serve: Set the finished roll on a plate and repeat with the remaining wrappers, leaving space between rolls so the rice paper does not stick. Serve at room temperature with the sesame sauce and nuoc cham on the side.

How to Serve

The way I serve these is at the start of a light Southeast Asian inspired meal, with both dipping sauces on the table and the rolls sliced in half on a diagonal so you can see the shrimp through the wrapper. I let my family pick which sauce they want first, and most people end up alternating between the sesame and the nuoc cham every other bite. For a nice 2 course dinner I pair the rolls with a plate of Thai pineapple fried rice so the table has something cool and fresh up front and something warm and fragrant to follow.

For a bigger table with friends I go for a shareable spread that crosses a few cuisines. The fresh rolls go out first as the appetizer, then I bring out a noodle dish like vegan pad Thai so everyone has a satisfying main, and a plate of salt and pepper squid for the crispy fried texture the rolls do not give you. If the meal needs a hot bowl on the table, I add vegetarian hot and sour soup for some heat and acidity against the cool rolls.

Frequently Ask Questions

Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings (8 spring rolls)

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These fresh shrimp spring rolls are my 55 minute Vietnamese inspired appetizer with poached shrimp, avocado, carrot, and fresh herbs wrapped in soft rice paper. I serve them with a Chinese sesame sauce and a Vietnamese nuoc cham, so every roll has two ways to dip and no two bites taste the same.

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 12 shrimp , peeled and deveined

Ground meat (Optional) (Footnote 1)

• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 8 oz ground pork (beef, or chicken)
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Spring roll

• 8 (22cm / 8.5”) rice paper wrappers (Footnote 2)
• 8 lettuce leaves (iceberg or bibb)
• 1 bunch basil , cilantro, mint, and/or chives *(Footnote 3)
• 1 avocado , sliced thinly (Optional)
• 1 carrot , julienned

Sesame Sauce

• 2 tablespoons chinese sesame paste (or natural unsweetened peanut butter)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or maple syrup)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chinkiang vinegar (or rice vinegar)

Vietnamese Chili Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

• 1 1/1 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime juice (or rice vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 to 2 Thai bird’s eye chilis , thinly sliced

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Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

• Prepare the shrimp by boiling a small pot of water with a large pinch of salt. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, until they turn pink and are fully curled. Once cool, slice the shrimp in half lengthwise and set aside.
• If using the ground meat, heat the oil in a medium-sized pan until hot. Add the pork. Break it apart to keep the ground chunks small. Stir occasionally as you cook the pork until browned. Sprinkle with salt and add the wine. Keep cooking until all the liquid evaporates and the meat is cooked and chopped into small pieces. Transfer the meat to a plate to cool. (*Footnote 4)
• Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the proteins are cooling off.
• If you do not plan to serve the spring rolls the same day, you can now seal all the prepped ingredients in airtight containers and store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Make the sauce

• To make the sesame sauce, combine everything in a medium-sized bowl and stir until it forms a smooth paste. If the paste is too thick, add a few drops of water at a time and mix until your desired consistency is reached.
• To make the Nuoc Cham sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl with 4 teaspoons of water. Depending on the strength of your fish sauce, you may want to add extra water or sugar according to your taste.
• The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Assemble

• The day you plan to serve the spring rolls, place all the filling ingredients on plates for easy access. Fill a shallow but wide dish with an inch of warm water. (*Footnote 5) You should have a clean working surface like a cutting board that you can spread the rice paper on.
• Work on the rolls one at a time. Take a rice paper wrapper and pull it through the water slowly 3 or 4 times (rotate the paper if your plate is not enough to fit the whole sheet of paper). You want it to be moist but still a bit stiff, as it will absorb more water as you place your filling on it and will be fully hydrated by the time you roll it up. Lay the moistened wrapper on a flat work surface.
• To build the roll, work in thirds. Be sure to leave an inch and a half of space on the bottom and top of the wrapper. Also leave 2 inches of wrapper on the edges. (See the step-by-step photos in the blog post above for the folding steps.)
• On the first third of the wrapper lay a piece of lettuce, then place 1 to 2 tablespoons of cooked ground meat in the center. Fold it so the meat is wrapped in the middle, then place it folded side down.
• In the middle of the wrapper, lay a few slices of avocado, evenly spaced and at an angle. On top of the avocado, add a layer of carrots and a few herb leaves without the stems.
• On the top third, place three of the halved shrimp, pink side down and evenly spaced.
• Take the bottom edge of your wrapper and fold it over the third with the lettuce. Then roll the bottom third over the center. Take both sides and tightly fold them in. Tuck a sprig of the herbs at the edge of the roll, allowing them to poke out of one side. Then continue to roll over the shrimp and press lightly to seal on the remaining loose rice paper.
• Set the formed spring rolls aside on a plate. Repeat the wrapping with all of the remaining rice wrappers. Make sure to space out the spring rolls, because the rice paper will stick together if the rolls are placed against each other.
• Serve the spring rolls at room temperature with the dipping sauces. Enjoy!

Storage

• You should always serve the spring rolls the same day you wrap them. If you plan to prepare them in advance, you should prep all the ingredients and wrap the spring rolls when you’re ready to serve. The ingredients will last in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. The wrapped spring rolls will last at room temperature for a couple of hours (half a day). You can place them in a container and make sure to leave some space between the rolls, so they won’t stick together. Avoid storing wrapped spring rolls in the fridge. The rice paper will become tough and the texture not very good.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. The ground meat is not necessary but highly recommended if you do not plan to use avocado in the recipe.
2. The rice paper comes in different sizes and it’s OK to use one that has similar size.
3. It is not necessary to have all these herbs. As long as you have one herb to add some flavor, this recipe will work, but the more, the merrier.
4. If you’re use pork or beef, you might want to line your plate with a few layers of paper towels, so it will drain off extra fat.
5. You can use a fry pan, large plate, or a pie dish. But it’s OK if your plate is smaller than the rice paper. You just need to rotate the wrapper when soaking it in the water.
6. The nutrition facts are calculated based on 1 of the 8 spring rolls that yield from this recipe, excluding the dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll, Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.5g, Protein: 16.3g, Fat: 7.2g, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 232mg, Potassium: 346mg, Fiber: 2.3g, Sugar: 1.3g, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 1mg

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Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.