Connie’s notes
I was supposed to make fish and shrimp cakes, but someone forgot to buy scallions. Good thing that we have a medley of herbs growing in the garden, and I knew basil and dill would go well with the seafood. Somewhere between snipping herbs in the garden and hand chopping the seafood, I ditched the idea of making fish and shrimp cakes. Fried spring rolls just seemed like a better choice.
What makes dill and basil perfect in this dish? Dill is citrusy, and is lovely with seafood. I had bell peppers which I roasted, and basil goes well with them.
So, is this a snack or a main course? It was a main course for us because we like our spring rolls with rice. If that sounds strange to non-Asians, these spring rolls make a delightful snack. You may even serve them as an appetizer or finger food to go with cocktails.
In the photo above, the ingredients for the filling are enumerated. Everything was hand chopped including the fish and shrimps. I initially thought about using a food processor to chop everything into small pieces, but I wanted texture, and using a food processor might have turned everything into a paste. So, I chopped them by hand.
Swordfish was used here, but you may substitute any firm and fleshy fish with a mild flavor.
Why roast the bell peppers before chopping? They were roasted and peeled to be more precise. Roasting them allowed me to peel off the skins which I wanted to discard because I don’t like bits of bell pepper skins getting stuck on the roof of my mouth. If your bell peppers are small, the skins are likely thinner, so you may optionally skip the roasting part.
Just sprinkle seasoning over the ingredients for the filling, mix them to distribute everything evenly, then wrap.
Unless you have an ultra large frying pan, I suggest you fry the spring rolls in batches. That ensures that there is no overcrowding which can result in a drop in the temperature of the cooking oil.
After frying, all you need to do is mix a few pantry staples for the dipping sauce. Mayo, lemon juice, Sriracha and lemon pepper seasoning were my choices.
For more about spring rolls, see how to wrap, store and reheat spring rolls.
Spring roll filling
In the photo above, the ingredients for the filling are enumerated. Everything was hand chopped including the fish and shrimps. I initially thought about using a food processor to chop everything into small pieces, but I wanted texture, and using a food processor might have turned everything into a paste. So, I chopped them by hand.
Swordfish was used here, but you may substitute any firm and fleshy fish with a mild flavor.
Why roast the bell peppers before chopping? They were roasted and peeled to be more precise. Roasting them allowed me to peel off the skins which I wanted to discard because I don’t like bits of bell pepper skins getting stuck on the roof of my mouth. If your bell peppers are small, the skins are likely thinner, so you may optionally skip the roasting part.
Making the spring rolls
Just sprinkle seasoning over the ingredients for the filling, mix them to distribute everything evenly, then wrap.
- Place the filling across the center of the wrapper.
- Fold the corner (or edge if you’re using a round wrapper) of the wrapper nearest you over the filling.
- Take one corner (or edge) on the side and fold it inward. The fold should be where the filling ends. Do the same with the opposite side.
- Brush the edges farthest from you with the egg wash or water.
- Start rolling the spring roll away from you, rolling as tightly as you can. Keep on rolling until you reach the edges brushed with egg wash or water.
Frying the spring rolls
Unless you have an ultra large frying pan, I suggest you fry the spring rolls in batches. That ensures that there is no overcrowding which can result in a drop in the temperature of the cooking oil.
After frying, all you need to do is mix a few pantry staples for the dipping sauce. Mayo, lemon juice, Sriracha and lemon pepper seasoning were my choices.
For more about spring rolls, see how to wrap, store and reheat spring rolls.Ingredients
- 450 grams fish fillet (about one pound) coarsley chopped
- 300 grams shrimps (10.5 oz) peeled, deveined and coarsley chopped
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 bell peppers (optionally roasted and peeled) deseeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped sweet basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons herb salt or substitute one teaspoon of refined salt and half a teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 20 six-inch spring roll wrappers
- cooking oil for frying
Sriracha mayo dipping sauce
- ¼ cup Japanese mayo
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Mix together the fish, shrimps, onion, garlic, bell peppers, dill, basil and herb salt to make the filling.
- Spread a tablespoonful of the filling on a spring roll wrapper, and wrap to seal. Repeat until all the filling has been wrapped.
- In a wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least two inches.
- Fry the spring rolls in batches until golden and crisp.
- Make the dipping sauce by mixing together the Japanese mayo, Sriracha, lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning. Optionally, top with chili flakes.
- Serve your fish and shrimp spring rolls with the Sriracha mayo on the side.
Rice cooker Hainanese-style chicken
