Last weekend I made like Billy Idol and let out a rebel yell. Or maybe it was more of a caveman grunt. I become a little overwrought with excitement when the grilling season hits. Last year, I posted How to: Grill Like a Girl...My Best Tips to help any wannabe grillers tackle their fear of lighting the propane or flipping a burger. As Memorial Day draws nearer in the U.S. (the unofficial start of summer), it's time to uncover those barbecues, wield those tongs and get down to some serious searing and basting.
Of course, a good backyard barbecue is not just about what's cooking on the grill. It's also about snacking on appetizers while chatting with friends and tending the barbecue.
Avocados are the things that appetizer dreams are made of. Whether you're talking guacamole, nachos or something a little more surprising like Chilled California Avocado Soup with Coconut Milk, the creamy fruit (yep, it's a fruit...I promise) and its distinctive flavor can elevate almost any dish to a new level.
Whenever I'm making spring rolls, my boys pull out their happy dance. And then they are by my side in a flash, asking if they can help to fill and roll. One of them is responsible for soaking the spring roll wrappers until they're soft, while the other fills the wrappers. In this case, the filling is rice noodles, shrimp, avocado (of course!), red bell pepper and basil. A few rolls in, they switch jobs, working away until we have a platter full of pretty rolls that are ready to be dipped into soy sauce spiked with chili-garlic sauce, or Trader Ming's Gyoza Sauce (from Trader Joe's). Love that stuff.
Serve the rolls whole, especially if you're serving them as an entree for lunch or dinner, or cut them in half for perfect bite-sized appetizers. And did I mention that one full roll has only 70 calories and 1.9g of fat. Guilt free, I'd say!
The recipe:
Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Using kitchen shears, cut the noodles into small pieces.
Set a medium saucepan of water of high heat and bring the water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, 60 to 90 seconds. Drain and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the shrimp from cooking further. Drain and cut the shrimp in half lengthwise.
Fill a shallow baking dish with hot water. Working with 1 spring roll wrapper at a time, soak the wrapper in the hot water until soft. Place the wrapper on a cutting board.
Lay 1 shrimp half, 1 slice of avocado, ¼ cup of the noodles, 2 bell pepper half slices and a sprinkling of basil into the middle of the wrapper. Fold in the sides and roll tightly. Repeat with remaining wrappers and ingredients.
Serve with soy sauce or a store-bought gyoza sauce.
Other light avocado recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Salad Cups with Quinoa, Shrimp, Avocado & Lemon Dressing
Cookin' Canuck's Chilled California Avocado Soup with Coconut Milk
Dine & Dish's Bacon Avocado Tomato Pasta Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing
I Wash, You Dry's Guacamole Linguine
Printable Recipe
Shrimp, Avocado & Rice Noodle Spring Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ounces rice noodles
- ¼ pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 16 approximately spring roll wrappers
- 1 California avocado peeled, pitted & thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced and cut in half
- 8 large basil leaves thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Using kitchen shears, cut the noodles into small pieces.
- Set a medium saucepan of water of high heat and bring the water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, 60 to 90 seconds. Drain and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the shrimp from cooking further. Drain and cut the shrimp in half lengthwise.
- Fill a shallow baking dish with hot water. Working with 1 spring roll wrapper at a time, soak the wrapper in the hot water until soft. Place the wrapper on a cutting board.
- Lay 1 shrimp half, 1 slice of avocado, ¼ cup of the noodles, 2 bell pepper half slices and a sprinkling of basil into the middle of the wrapper. F
- old in the sides and roll tightly. Repeat with remaining wrappers and ingredients. Cut the rolls in half, if desired. Serve with soy sauce or a store-bought gyoza sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This recipe was created as part of my partnership and ambassadorship with the California Avocado Commission (CAC). All opinions expressed are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Kayla Wood
I've been wanting to try some spring rolls like this for a while. I'll have to give these a go!
Crystal @ Simply Playful Fare
I've been wanting to try making spring rolls like this, and you certainly had me at avocado. Basil sounds like a lovely addition. These look awesome!
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts
Dara,
I love how I can repurpose leftovers into a new dish when I whip out the spring roll wrappers. These look so fresh and pretty, and I bet they taste so great with the creamy avocado--that really makes it for me and I rarely include it in my spring rolls because I'm too busy stuffing CSA farm share vegetables into them!
Thanks!
Jeanette
Love how your boys help make these gorgeous and healthy spring rolls - we love avocados too!
FoodJunkie
These sound great and so easy to modify for variety, BBQ pork, bean sprouts (although there is some evidence they shouldn't be eaten raw), a sprig of cilantro and on and on. I expect the Vietnamese Nuoc Cham dipping sauce would be a great choice for these as well. I have been thinking about making these for a while and am off to get the supplies.
Amanda
These look SOOOOOO good!! With me trying to eat Paleo as much as possible, your site has been such a great resource!
Liz
Sounds excellent. Thank you.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
Wow, these look incredibly delicious (and surprisingly easy)! Thanks for sharing, Dara!
Carla @ Carlas Confections
My tummy is grumbling now. I really want these!!!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I love spring rolls, these look so delicious!