Healthy and light. Warm or cold. Saucy or not. Something for everyone.
Hopefully, you’ve all been finding some solace during these toasty summer days we’ve been experiencing. The girls have actually been loving it — visits to the cottage, runs through the sprinkler, countless trips with friends to nearby splash pads and even a trip to a water park. When I put it that way, I’ve been loving it too!
With the girls off playing, there are only so many times that G will go running out after work to light the BGE and grill up some goodness for us. And so, my mission to deliver meals while keeping the kitchen cool continues.
My first introduction to salad rolls is nearly two decades old but for some reason, it has been years since I last made them. Once we learned how much Katie enjoys BBQ shrimp and combined that with Emma’s love for noodles (as well as shrimp), this light summery meal was going to be a natural fit.
Grill the shrimp, boil a little water for the rice paper rolls and vermicelli and shred the veggies. At our house, while I grill the shrimp, Emma is off gathering fresh basil from one of the plants we planted together earlier in the season. Little hands are usually pretty excited to help with the assembly. And, once you have all the ingredients prepped, that assembly is especially easy and quick. This is one recipe that will keep you (and your kitchen) cool as a cucumber.
Summer Spring Rolls
(makes 6 spring rolls)
- 1/2 pound (~18-20 pieces) large raw, peeled shrimp (thawed, if frozen)
- a few tbsp olive oil
- 100g dried rice vermicelli
- 6 rounds of rice paper wrappers
- 2 + 1 cups hot water (cool enough to touch)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, washed and shredded
- 1/2 medium English cucumber, washed, shredded and squeezed to let some moisture out of it
- 1/2 cup whole fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
- sweet chili sauce or your favourite Thai dipping sauce (optional)
Heat the BBQ to high. Toss the shrimp in olive oil. Reduce the heat to low. Grill the shrimp until opaque and the outside is pink. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Place the vermicelli in a small bowl and cover with 2 cups of hot water. Let stand until the noodles have softened. Drain.
Pour the remaining cup of hot water in a shallow bowl, at least the diameter of the rice paper wrappers. Place one rice paper wrapper into the bowl and let stand about 15-20 seconds until it’s softened. Remove and delicately place it on a flat work surface lined with a tea towel. Gently pat the top of the wrapper dry.
Lay 3 pieces of shrimp side by side in the centre of the rice paper wrapper. Top with a little vermicelli, carrot, cucumber and a few leaves of fresh basil. Take care to not overfill your wrapper.
Take the bottom of the wrapper and neatly bring it up over top of the filling. Next take one side of the wrapper and fold it over as close to the opposite side as possible. Repeat on the opposite side. Starting from the bottom, neatly roll up the wrapper to form a cylinder.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve with the sweet chili sauce or your favourite dipping sauce.
Tips and Suggestions:
- Although I tend to shred the cucumber and carrot, if you have the time (and patience), you can julienne them for a bit more crunch in your salad roll.
- Have leftover BBQ pork? Substitute it in place of the shrimp for a delectable salad roll.
- This recipe scales easily so you can make lots and cut them in half for appetizers or make a few and have them as a light meal.
EmmaEats...and Katie too! 
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