Light, bright, and fresh, these Apple and Shrimp Summer Rolls are simple to make and a delight to eat (with some good tips for assembling them). Using a crisp, non-browning variety of apple makes it a breeze to prepare these ahead or pack the leftovers for lunch the next day. They're loaded with tender shrimp, lots of colourful veggies, and sweet, crunchy apple. Healthy eating has never been more fun or delicious! (Skip to recipe.)
Thanks to Cosmic Crisp® Washington Apples for sponsoring this post so I could share this tasty recipe with you and tell you about my new favourite fruit for snacking, cooking, and baking.
Sometimes, when the world outside seems to be getting more crazy and life feels too big to handle, I find I need to step back and reacquaint myself with the world within my own little orbit. Slowing down, reassessing, and reconnecting my soul with what's around me are grounding. It's a time for gratitude and positivity; a time to find solace in the small pleasures. A time to understand how those little wonderful moments in life can bring as much, or more, joy than grand plans and accomplishments.
I am thankful I live in the country and can look out of my kitchen window into the forest, I am thankful for the chance to walk down the road to the pond with Pippa, inhaling the bracing fresh air as she runs ahead sniffing every new little bush and bump. My heart sings when I receive an unexpected phone call from one of my children, to chat about their day, or when I read a text from a friend asking how it's going. I sigh with pleasure when I cozy up in my big red leather chair and sip on a cup of tea while leafing through a new cookbook for tonight's dinner inspiration. I am so grateful that I have an abundance of food in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. I chuckle with pleasure when I go out and watch the antics of our wacky chickens and the strutting rooster. I love watching the snow swirl around outside the window, and the sound of the wind howling under the eaves.
I revel in the deliciousness of biting into the crisp and crunchy new apple variety I've discovered, and I inhale the sweet spicy smell of those apples baking with butter and brown sugar and a touch of rum. I take another sip of my tea and gaze out the window.
And the world doesn't seem quite so crazy right now.
What are These Crispy New Apples I've Discovered?
They're called Cosmic Crisp® Washington State apples, and boy are they ever crisp. And sweet. And tangy. And flavourful. And as a real bonus, they're naturally slow to brown, too, which makes them perfect for snacking, cooking, and baking. The Cosmic Crisp® was classically bred (which means it's non-GMO, yay!) at Washington State University, and it is a cross between the ‘Enterprise’ and ‘Honeycrisp’. This sweet, large, juicy apple has a remarkably firm and crisp texture, even crisper and sweeter than other varieties. It is my new absolute favourite apple.
They're now available locally (at our Superstore), so I've been stocking up. I find that the refrigerator’s crisper is the best place to store Cosmic Crisp apples - they keep remarkably well. I had a cut apple laying on the counter overnight - it didn't brown at all and was just as crispy and delicious the next day. That makes them a great choice for salads and raw dishes like these vibrant Apple & Shrimp Summer Rolls. You can keep the rolls in the fridge for several days, and the Cosmic Crisps retain every bit of their crunch with nary a bit of brown to mar their good looks. I've kept a cut-apple in a baggie in the fridge for several days and it stayed bright and fresh and crispy. What a boon for packing apple wedges in lunch boxes; I wish I'd had them around when our kids were in school.
Another delicious way to enjoy them is in this tasty and convenient breakfast of Swiss Muesli.
Cosmic Crisps are Great for Baking, Too
Their natural sweetness, firm texture, and lack of browning, make them a wonderful candidate for baking and cooking. I've made delicious baked apples with them, and have been roasting them up for dessert (and breakfast with yogurt). Cosmic Crisps hardly need any added sugar, and they keep their shape beautifully.
Roasted Rum Apples
Peel 2 Cosmic Crisp apples, cut them in quarters, core them, and cut each quarter into 4 chunks. Put the chunks in a single layer in a small baking dish, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of spiced rum (I like spiced black rum) and ¼ cup (60ml) water. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F (180°C) for 1 hour, stirring them halfway through. Serve warm with a drizzle of heavy cream or a scoop of ice cream or yogurt. Yuuuuum!
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I got sidetracked with those yummy, rummy apples, so let's get back to their starring roll in these delectable Apple & Shrimp Summer Rolls.
Whether you call them summer rolls, salad rolls, fresh spring rolls, or rice paper rolls, these fresh and tasty wraps originate in Vietnam, but are now popular everywhere. You may have ordered them in restaurants, but they really are easy to make at home. Just take a minute before starting to read through the directions and familiarize yourself with the steps. Don't worry if your first ones aren't perfect. They get better with each one you make. And if you make a few duds, I've given you a trick to save them so they're still neat and easy to eat. Once you get the hang of making these summer rolls, you can make all sorts of creative variations.
You can buy the rice paper wrappers at Asian stores or most large supermarkets, as well as the rice vermicelli noodles. The fillings you can put inside are endless, although they usually consist of a protein, rice noodles, raw vegetables, and greens or herbs. This combination of shrimp and crunchy Cosmic Crisp® apples is especially fresh and vibrant. The sweetness of the apples goes wonderfully with the sweet, tender shrimp, and I love that there's no worry about the apples browning if I make these ahead. Leftover rolls are just as fresh packed in a lunch the next day as they are at serving time.
Easy Tips for Assembling Apple & Shrimp Summer Rolls
Prepare all the filling elements ahead. Stir together the ingredients for the dipping sauce so the flavours can meld.
Set out a plate or cutting board to work on, and have a bowl of room temperature water nearby to dip the rice paper in (or work near the sink and wet it under the tap).
Now you're ready to roll!
Dip the rice paper into the water to wet both sides (or wet it under the tap with cool water). Lay the moistened wrap onto your work surface (it will still be partially stiff, but will soften completely in a minute or two, by the time you wrap it).
Place a small amount of the soaked rice noodles (a scant ¼ cup) in a rectangle across the bottom third of the wrapper (arrange the noodles to be about 3½ to 4 inches/9 to 10 cm wide). Spread about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise across the top of the noodles. Then add a small amount of the shredded cabbage. Add a few strips of carrot.
And a few strips of cucumber on top of the cabbage. Then add a small handful of crispy Cosmic Crisp apple sticks. Top the apple with 1 or 2 slices of avocado. Pinch off the stem of a cilantro sprig, and remove one nice-shaped leaf and set it aside. Place the leafy top of the cilantro sprig on top of the avocado.
Now lift up the front of the rice wrapper and pull it over the filling, while at the same time tucking in any loose vegetables with your other fingers. Roll it once, then stop and place the reserved cilantro leaf on the flap of wrapper in front of the roll. Lay three shrimp halves (pink side down) in a row in front of the roll, with the middle shrimp placed on top of the cilantro leaf. Tuck in the sides of the rice paper. Continue to roll up the summer roll until the wrapper is completely enclosing it.
Important Tip: If your wrapper tears or feels too loose, moisten another wrapper and double wrap the roll (rolling it again in the second wrapper), pulling it a bit more tightly this time.
Delicious (and so pretty to look at).
Now let's get dipping!
What fresh flavours and wonderful textures - tender, succulent shrimp and sweet crispy apple, along with the crunch and colour of raw veggies, the softness of the vermicelli, and the chewiness of the rice wrapper. The zing and heat of the light dipping sauce adds a vibrant punch to make your taste buds sing. This is healthful eating that's not only a feast for the eyes, but a delight to your palate as well.
You're a summer roll pro now, and can whip these beauties up for friends and family anytime! Happy rolling.
* * * * *
Kitchen Frau Notes: To save time, buy precooked frozen large shrimp and put them into cold water to thaw for about 20 minutes, then drain them. If you use raw shrimp, defrost them, then drop them into boiling water and cook them for 1 minute, then put them into ice water to cool. Drain.
Apple & Shrimp Summer Rolls
- 3 oz (90 g) rice vermicelli (about 3 cups cooked)
- 12 to 24 rice paper wrappers
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 cup shredded red or green cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 four-inch (10cm) piece of English cucumber
- 1 large crisp, non-browning apple, like Cosmic Crisp
- 1 avocado
- 12 sprigs of fresh cilantro
- 18 large cooked shrimp, shelled
for the dipping sauce:
- 2 tablespoons natural evaporated cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Prepare the Ingredients: Set a saucepan filled with water on to boil. Once it boils, remove it from the heat and submerge the rice vermicelli into the hot water. Leave them to soak for 3 minutes, then drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water. Set them aside in a colander to drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Prepare the dipping sauce and set it aside for the flavours to blend: stir together all the dipping sauce ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.
Trim the carrots into 3½-4 inch (9-10 cm) lengths, cut them into ⅛ inch slices lengthwise, then cut the slices lengthwise into ⅛ inch matchsticks. Or simply grate the carrots.
Cut the cucumber the same way as the carrots (but don't grate them).
Leave the peel on the Cosmic Crisp apple, and cut off the 'cheeks', leaving a square column around the core. Cut the apple flesh into ¼-inch (.5 cm) sticks lengthwise.
Cut the avocado in quarters lengthwise, removing them from the pit. Strip the peel off each quarter, and cut the flesh into lengthwise strips.
Remove the tails from the shrimp and cut each shrimp in half lengthwise to form two 'C' curls.
Set out all the ingredients in bowls or in piles on a cutting board. Have a large bowl or flat pan filled with room temperature water to dip the rice paper wrappers in.
Assemble the Apple Shrimp Summer Rolls: See the photos above if you've never made salad rolls before. The trick is not to fill your rolls too full, or they will be hard to manage. Just use small amounts of each ingredient, especially the first few rolls you make, until you get the feel of how much filling you can put into each one and still get a neat roll.
Dip a rice paper wrapper in the water, making sure both sides are moistened. Lay the rice paper onto a cutting board or a plate in front of you.
Place a small amount of the rice vermicelli (about ¼ cup) into about a 3½ (9cm) wide rectangle crosswise onto the rice paper about ⅓ of the way in. Spread about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise across the noodles (doesn't need to be perfectly spread).
Place a few strands of cabbage, then 3 or 4 strips each of carrots and cucumbers on top of the noodles.
Add a generous amount of apple sticks, trying to keep everything in a relatively neat rectangle atop the noodles. Add 1 or 2 slices of avocado.
Take a cilantro sprig and pluck off one nicely shaped leaf and set it aside. Pinch the stem off the rest of the sprig and put the leafy top of the sprig atop the avocado.
Lift up the end of the moistened rice paper nearest you and gently pull it over the filling, and roll it neatly, using your fingers to tuck the filling ingredients in as you roll. Once you have the filling rolled up about two thirds of the way, stop and lay the reserved cilantro leaf onto the rice paper right in front of the roll. Lay 3 shrimp halves onto the rice paper in a row right in front of the roll, pink sides down, with the middle shrimp placed over the cilantro leaf you just placed. Fold in the sides of the rice paper and continue rolling up the filling, rolling the shrimp in with the the last bit of rice paper. The cilantro leaf and shrimp will show through the last layer, making a pretty top to each of your salad rolls.
Handy Tip: If for some reason your roll splits open, or is too loose or untidy, you can double wrap it. Wet another rice paper wrapper and leave it to soften for about 2 minutes, then roll up the untidy roll in a second layer of rice paper, this time pulling a bit more firmly to make a neat roll.
These summer rolls can be made several hours ahead and kept refrigerated. Remove them from the fridge 20 minutes before serving, as the rice paper wraps firm up in the fridge and are better if softened a bit at room temperature. If using Cosmic Crisp apples, the rolls will keep in the refrigerator for up 2 days.
Makes 12 summer rolls. Serves 4 for a light meal.
Guten Appetit!
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