Salmon Summer Rolls Recipes

SALMON SUMMER ROLLS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, hoisin, water, fish sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes and mix well. Cover and set aside until ready to serve. (The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
• Bring a small saucepan filled with water to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the rice vermicelli, and let soak until tender, 3 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the vermicelli. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold running water, drain again, and pat dry. If desired, grab a pair of scissors and make a few cuts through the noodles to make them less gangly and more manageable.
• Have ready a large bowl of warm water, a clean dry kitchen towel, a platter, and the rice paper wrappers. Dip a wrapper into the water, turning to dampen both sides, until sorta soft but still sorta firm. The exact timing will depend on the warmth of your water and the brand of rice paper wrappers but could be as little as a matter of seconds. Place the wrapper on a damp towel or cutting board and assemble the first roll by laying a small portion of pea shoots horizontally on the bottom third of the dampened wrapper. Top with a small mound of noodles, spreading them horizontally. Place some salmon, a couple of pieces of scallion, and three cilantro sprigs horizontally on top. (You want to use 1/8 of the total amount of each ingredient for each roll.) Roll the edge of the wrapper nearest you over the filling just a little, tucking the filling inside and creating a tight cylinder. Roll it halfway over again and then fold in the sides of the cylinder, envelope style or, if you prefer, burrito style. Continue rolling the wrapper, keeping the filling tightly packed in the cylinder. (It's important to roll the ingredients into a snug cylinder. If it's not snug, the filling will fall apart when you cut or bite into the roll.) Place the roll, seam-side down, on the platter.
• Repeat with the remaining rice paper wrappers and filling ingredients. Cover the summer rolls with a damp paper towel and then with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
• Cut each summer roll in half on the diagonal. Arrange on a platter or on individual small plates, making certain that the summer rolls don't touch or they'll stick together like crazy glue. Serve with little bowls of the dipping sauce.

SALMON SUMMER ROLLS WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Dipping Sauce:.
• Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for the flavors to meld while you are making the spring rolls.
• The Spring Rolls:.
• Cook salmon in olive oil or a nonstick sprayed medium heat pan until cooked through, about 3 minutes a side, depending on the thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Break salmon apart into medium chunks with a fork and let cool while you prepare your other ingredients.
• Get your ingredients ready so that they are separate and ready to grab for each roll. I split each ingredient pile into 4 so I can divide them more evenly between the 16.
• Set 1 rice paper sheet in very warm water in a pie plate and let sit for about 15 seconds, or until soft and pliable. Remove and set on counter or other flat space where you can place the rice paper. When you remove a sheet, add another one to the hot water while you make a roll, so it will be ready to use for the next one. You will have to replace the water a few times, as it cools.
• Add 1/16th of each of the ingredients vertically on the rice paper, taking up the center half of the sheet. Fold the top quarter and bottom quarter to meet at the center of the ingredients, overlapping slightly. Tightly roll the sheet from one side to the other to make a secure spring roll. The rice paper will automatically stick to itself to "glue" it together. There is a demo on Recipezaar with photos of another way to roll them. You can see it at http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=224922. Scroll halfway down the page to view the photos.
• Repeat until you have 16 rolls and place on a plate or baking tray as you go along. You can make these hours before a party if you wish.
• Cover with plastic wrap to store in refrigerator or serve immediately with dipping sauce.