Shrimp Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce for the table

If you're looking for a light and healthy meal this summer, try these Shrimp Summer Rolls. These rolls are easier to make than you think, and they are perfect to dip into homemade peanut sauce. Enjoy as an appetizer, a side dish, or as the main course!

When the weather heats up, We often turn to no-cook recipes. Who wants to turn on the stove when it's sweltering hot? Not We.

These Shrimp Summer Rolls are one of the dishes that We love to make year round, but tend to make a more regular appearance during the summer. They are inspired by some of the favorite Vietnamese shrimp rolls that our local Vietnamese restaurants serve, but this recipe pairs them with a rich peanut sauce for dipping.

And, these are truly easier to make than you might think. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be a shrimp roll-making pro!

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🍤 Ingredient notes

One of the things We love about this recipe is how you can make it with what you already have on hand.

Shrimp – We always have some frozen shrimp in the freezer. Always! It's such a great protein staple to keep on hand. The pre-cooked then frozen, tails off shrimp are so simple to thaw and then use in this recipe.

Noodles – The most common noodles to use in salad rolls like these is rice vermicelli noodles. But you can also use any other thin rice noodles, like the Pancit Bihon Noodles. Or even this wider Thai rice noodles.

Wrappers – This recipe calls for thin rice paper wrappers. It is important to use this style of wrapper and NOT the thicker wheat -based wonton wrappers. You need the quite thin rice paper wrappers to soak in water briefly, which makes them pliable, then fill and wrap.

Vegetables – Here's where you can truly customize this recipe to your liking. The favorite veggies to include in shrimp rolls are julienned carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini. You can also include thinly sliced green cabbage or red cabbage. Some people add julienned bell peppers. By the way, We often prefer to use this julienne peeler to create quite thin, uniform slices compared to save time.

✅ Step-by-step instructions

STEP 1 – Start by boiling some water in a kettle or a pot. Place the noodles into a large shallow bowl then pour simply enough boiling water to cover the noodles. Allow them to soak while you prep the other ingredients.

STEP 2 – Fully thaw the frozen cooked shrimp in a bowl with cold/lukewarm water. Drain the shrimp and set aside. Drain the noodles and return them to their bowl. Julienne the carrot and cucumber.

STEP 3 – In a medium bowl, gently mix together the carrots, cucumber, any other veggies you decided to use, the fish sauce, sugar, and vinegar until they are well-combined.

STEP 4 – Place some lukewarm water into a second large shallow bowl. Quite gently separate a rice paper wrapper from the pack. Some rice paper wrappers come with dividers to make it simple to lift and separate each one; some do not. Rice paper tears quite easily, so take your time and concentrate during this step. Gently dip one wrapper into the bowl of water simply until it's pliable. Then set it onto a cutting board or other surface covered with a clean tea towel.

STEP 5 – Time to assemble the rolls! To the center of the prepared wrapper, place 3-4 shrimp in a row. On top of the shrimp, lay down a small amount of the vegetable mixture, simply enough to cover the shrimp. Then top with the vermicelli noodles (if they were tightly wound they would measure out to be simply about 2 tablespoons full). Finally, top with one mint leaf and one basil leaf.

NOTE: Use your best judgment in filling each roll: you don't want too much filling, otherwise the wrapper is more likely to tear and you'll have to start all over again. Fold in the sides to meet as close to the middle as they can, and then gently fold in the top and bottom until the bottom overlaps and seals in the roll. Set aside and continue assembling the other rolls.

STEP 6 – Make the peanut sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and boiling water until the sauce is smooth. Top with chopped peanuts, and serve as a dip along with the rolls.

🍤 Kitchen tools and equipment

You don't need any fancy equipment to make these Vietnamese-style shrimp rolls. You simply need:

electric kettle or medium pot to boil water
cutting board
knife
julienne peeler (if you don't want to use a knife to julienne)
2 shallow bowls

☀️ More simple summer recipes

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