Summer Rolls

There’s something about summer rolls that is just so much fun. They’re beautiful to look at and fun to make. The best thing of all is that you really don’t even need a recipe to make them. Just gather a bunch of your favorite foods for the filling, wrap, dip, and eat.

Our general rule for filling ingredients is the following:

• Pick a protein: crab, salmon, shrimp, tofu, shredded chicken
• Pick some vegetables: julienned cucumbers and carrots, butter lettuce,  shredded cabbage, red pepper slices
• Add some fresh herbs: cilantro, mint, basil, and parsley are our top four
• Add something creamy: thin slices of avocado do the trick for us
• Add something sweet: we love fresh mango slices, but papaya, peach, or nectarine would work well, especially in the summer

If you’ve never worked with the rice paper wrappers before, there’s a little you need to know about working with them. First, get a pot of water on the stove to boil. Pour some of the hot water into a dinner or pie plate (larger plate with sides). Add one rice paper circle to the water and make sure it gets submerged. In about 20-30 seconds, it will become soft and pliable. Carefully remove the rice paper wrapper from the water, keeping it as stretched out as possible and then transfer to a cutting board. It’s okay if the wrapper tries to fold up on itself a bit. Just do your best to try to smooth it out.

To fill your summer roll, start by placing a leaf of butter lettuce near the edge closest to you. Top with some cucumber and carrots, a slice of avocado, one or two slices of mango, and then the crab or shrimp (or whatever protein you are using). Top with fresh herbs.

Rolling your summer roll is a lot like rolling a burrito. Lift the edge closest to you and fold it up and over the filling, rolling away from you. Fold the sides in toward the center and continue roll away from you until it is sealed. Repeat with remaining rice paper and filling until you’ve made as many as you would like.

Every good summer roll needs a delicious dipping sauce. Our two favorites: sweet & spicy and peanut sauce.

This Summer Roll recipe is easy and fun for the entire family!