Spring Roll Bowls with Shrimp are easy to assemble at home. Topped with sautéed shrimp, crispy vegetables, fresh mint, basil and cilantro and tossed with a tangy spring roll sauce.
Confession – I’ve never made Spring Rolls. They intimidate me. The delicate rice paper wrappers just look like they’d be a disaster waiting to happen in my hands. They bring back memories of working at a taco restaurant, where all my culinary skills began. Or lack of culinary skills at that time. My burritos always ended up wonky looking and to this day, anything that requires rolling something up – enchiladas, burritos, spring rolls – always brings on panic.
That’s the key point as to why you’ll find so many “bowl” recipes on this blog. Take for example:
It was only natural for these to make an appearance…
Spring Roll Bowls
These spring roll bowls are honestly so simple. Instead of rice paper wrappers, I’m using a base of rice noodles. These are the same noodles that you’d use in Pad Thai and you should be able to easily find them in the International Foods aisle of your supermarket. I’ve found the best way to prepare the noodles without them sticking together is to simply soak them in warm water for 30 minutes. Then, once they’re softened, I dip them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes to heat them up a bit.
Topping off those noodles are some beautiful shrimp. A quick sauté in my skillet gave them that perfect pink color.
Next up – The spring roll sauce. It’s sweet and spicy and salty and tangy… I like to load mine up with a good amount of lime juice, garlic, a bit of brown sugar and the ever important fish sauce. Why is it that fish sauce smells so amazingly awful on its own but seems to make dishes taste so fantastic? It’s that hint of umami-ness that it adds… Almost like it gives a bit of richness and saltiness that you can’t find anywhere else…
A bonus of this sauce? You don’t even need to mince the garlic, just peel it and pop everything into your blender, that way the ingredients will emulsify together nicely and the garlic will get really finely chopped and it’s flavor will evenly blend into the tangy sauce.
Now is the fun part – The assembly. Here’s where you can get creative and use your favorite toppings. I went a bit for all my favorites that you’d typically find in a spring roll: shredded red cabbage, avocado, cucumber, serrano pepper and lots of fresh herbs – mint, cilantro, and basil. That trio of herbs gets used quite a bit in Thai cooking, and I love how they all play so well together. Oh, and don’t forget a sprinkle of chopped peanuts at the end for some extra crunchy yumminess.
Are there any ingredients that I missed that you’d top your spring roll bowl with? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Wine Pairings for Spring Roll Bowls:
- A medium-bodied, wine with some good citrus to it makes a great match for these Spring Roll Noodle Bowls. Try a Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde.
- Rosé is another great option. It’s got enough body to stand up to all the spices in the spring roll sauce.
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More healthy seafood recipes:
Spring Roll Bowls Recipe
Full Recipe
Shrimp Spring Roll Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
Spring Roll Sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled)
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Bowl Ingredients:
- Cooking Spray
- 1 lb. shrimp (peeled)
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 1 serrano pepper (thinly sliced)
- 2 carrots (julienned (I use this julienne peeler))
- 1-2 mini cucumbers (thinly sliced)
- 1 ripe avocado (pitted, peeled and sliced)
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/4 cup fresh basil (torn)
- 1/4 cup fresh mint (torn)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (torn)
- Dry roasted peanuts (roughly chopped)
- Sea salt flakes
- 1 lime (quartered)
Instructions
- Soak the rice noodles in cold water for 30 minutes, until softened.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the spring roll sauce.
- To prepare the spring roll sauce, pulse all the ingredients together in blender or food processor, until smooth.
- Once the noodles are softened, drain and transfer them to the pot of boiling water and allow them to cook for 1-2 minutes and drain.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Spray with PAM and add shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until opaque. Remove from pan and set aside.
- To assemble, toss the noodles with the spring roll sauce and divide them between four bowls. Top with shrimp, serrano pepper, carrots, cucumber, avocado, cabbage, basil, mint, cilantro, peanuts, sea salt flakes, and a heavy squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.
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