Spring rolls are just about one of my favorite finger foods. I love the combination of flavours: the crunch, the herbs, the sauce. And the flavours of Vietnam are among my favourites. Now that I am in San Francisco, super-authentic Vietnamese food is easier to come by than ever, and still so cheap. San Jose, a scant 50-some miles south of San Francisco has a rather large Vietnamese population, making for a bounty and variety that, sadly, the City cannot measure up to.
Following is my recipe for salmon spring rolls, rather nontraditional so you’ll likely not find it at most restaurants. I also happened to have dense, buttery avocados I brought back from Los Angeles (alas, better weather, and better avocados than here) and included them as well. Spring rolls contain lettuce, rice noodles, herbs, and protein tightly wrapped in paper thin, translucent rice paper. They are best eaten fresh — in fact, I wouldn’t recommend eating them any other way. So, either temper your ingredients to make two rolls for yourself only — or invite a couple friends over to sample.
Note, I cure my salmon prior to cooking.
Fresh Salmon Spring Rolls
Time: 45 minutes prep time, 20 minutes cook time + 2 hours marinade time
Servings: 8-10 rolls
Ingredients
1 lb. salmon fillet, skin on fine, cured
1 package round rice paper, smaller size, about 6-in
1 package thin rice stick noodles (you will only need 1/4 of package usually)
Handful fresh mint
Handful cilantro
Handful Vietnamese cilantro
Whole leaves of lettuce, such as green leaf, hard stalk removed
Cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise, cut into 4-5 in strips
1 avocado, sliced
3-5 c. water (for boiling when needed)
Sauce (my version, not traditional):
1 TBSP peanut oil
2 TBSP hoisin sauce
2-3 fresh green onions, thinly chopped
1/2 lime
3-5 fresh Thai chilis, chopped (optional)
1 TBSP finely ground peanuts (optional)
Two hours before serving, cure the salmon. Keep in fridge for at least 1.5 hours before cooking. When ready, take out of water and dry salmon completely (makes for better searing, browning).
Next, make the sauce. Heat the peanut oil in a sauce pan over low heat. Add the Thai chilis (please make sure you pricked them with the knife, or they could explode) and sautee until they begin to toast and release their scent. Remove from pan. Add chopped green onions to pan and give it a quick stir. Chop up the chilis and add back to pan with the green onions. Add the hoisin and let all the flavors come together. Remove from heat and stir in the peanuts. Just before serving squeeze some lime juice over it.
Prep the noodles. One half hour before rolling, place rice noodles in bowl and cover with warm water. Let rest before softening further.
Prepare the vegetables and herbs. Cean all the herbs and lettuce, cutting off all stems. Set aside on plate. Slice half a cucumber lengthwise with a peeler (the “Y” shaped peelers are best, but be careful as they can be very sharp). Set aside on same plate. Cut avocado in half. Remove skin from one half (keeping it as whole as possible) and slice thinly. Set aside with other vegetables and herbs.
Clockwise from top: cilantro/coriander, Vietnamese cilantro, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, mint
Vietnamese cilantro, in closer detail
Prepare the noodles. Boil 4 to 5 cups of water. Drain noodles, put in colander, and place in bowl again. Pour water to cover the noodles and immediately lift out. (Set aside this water, covering it to keep warm.) When noodles are cool to the touch, spread out on plate and cover to keep it from drying out. Set aside. Note: how much noodles you have depends entirely on how much you want really. Just keep in mind that you are adding other fillings to the rolls. I prefer mostly veggies.
Spread noodles out for easy handling
Cook the salmon: Take salmon out of the fridge and pat dry. You will not need to add any salt before cooking. If pan-frying, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil starts to smoke, lay fish in the pan, skin side down. Let this cook for 3-5 minutes (you want a nice crisp) then turn over. Let the salmon cook on this side for another 4-5 minutes. If the fish is firm when you press it in the thickest part, it’s ready (it will be cooked medium, so it will be a little rare on the inside). Remove from pan. If you want to remove the skin (I recommend keeping it, as it provides a tasty crunch in the spring roll), remove it at this time. Slice the salmon across the grain with a forward motion, so as not to flake the fish too much (if you do, it’s OK). Set aside.
Getting a beautiful sear on your salmon
Put it all together – the Roll. Arrange your fillings (vegetables and herbs, noodles, protein) on a large enough work surface. For the rolling itself, I recommend you use a large plate or a large clean cutting board (one you haven’t used for meat). Dip a circular sheet into the hot water, making sure the entire surface is wet and put on work surface. Let it rest a minute and soften. Place the lettuce at the bottom edge of the circle closest to you. Add the herbs on top it it. Next comes the noodles, then the cucumber, avocado, and finally the salmon. Place thumb slightly under edge, press fillings tight and roll over once. Fold in the ends and the finish rolling. [You can also just roll without folding the ends, if it's too tricky.] Serve with the dipping sauce.
The rice paper out of package
Laying the base of veggies and noodle
Adding avocado and salmon
The results... ta da!
As usual, I have variations:
* Vegetarian: Take a pack of firm tofu, slice along the short side into 1/2 inch slices. Sear/brown each side in pan with a little olive oil over low heat, about 5-8 minutes on each side. Cut each slice in half lengthwise and replace salmon. Or, just use pan-seared mushrooms or your favorite grilled vegetables, e.g., eggplant, zucchini, roasted and dried tomatoes.
* Replace avocado with mango.
* Shrimp (most common in restaurants): Butterfly large shrimp. Make small incisions along body and stretch shrimp on a skewer (that’s been soaked in water). Grill 3-4 minutes and replace salmon. You can also butterfly and boil shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes until they cook.
* Lemongrass beef: Take 1 stalk of lemongrass, remove leaves and crush the root. Chop very finely and rub all over 8 oz. beef. Season with salt. Let it marinate for at least an hour. Grill or pan fry and replace salmon in rolls. For beef, I like to use sirloin or flank/bavette cut.
Actually, by naked I mean really simple fish with nothing but salt and pepper to season it. It sits atop a foundation of beautiful vegetables of your choice and as the whole dish roasts, some of the natural sugars caramelize and combine to meld all the flavors together. You serve it with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic brown butter, which adds richness and acidity to the dish.
