Salad Rolls with Crab and Spicy Mango Sauce

Recipe: Salad Rolls with Crab and Spicy Mango Sauce

Makes : 6 to 8 appetizer servings | Appetizers/Snacks Dairy Free
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Rice paper wrappers, sometimes called spring roll wrappers or spring rolls skins, should be made from rice flour or a combination of rice and tapioca flours. Look for them in Asian aisle of your grocery store. Rice paper wrappers are becoming readily available; if they're not in your market be sure to put a request in to the manager. Also, please avoid imitation crab meat, which usually contains wheat. Use fresh crab or check the label on canned crab to make sure it's safe.

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces dried rice vermicelli
  • 3/4 pound cooked, picked crab (do not use imitation crab; it usually contains gluten)
  • 2 carrots, peeled and shredded (about a cup)
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into very thin slices
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • 1/2 cup shredded daikon radish
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lime
  • 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • 16 (8-to-9-inch-diameter) rice paper wrappers
  • Spicy mango sauce or gluten-free peanut sauce, for serving

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles. Remove the pan from the heat and let the noodles stand in the water until tender, about 5 minutes or more depending on the thickness. Drain the noodles in a colander and then rinse with cold water. Squeeze any excess water from the noodles. Cut them into shorter lengths with kitchen shears and then transfer them to a large bowl.
  • Add the crab, carrots, bell pepper, lettuce, radish, cilantro, and mint to the noodles and toss until well combined. Add the lime juice and fish sauce and toss once more.
  • Fill a large bowl with warm water. Put two of the rice paper wrappers in the water and soak until pliable, about 30 seconds. Carefully remove the wrappers from the water and set them on a clean kitchen towel. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling on the lower third of each rice paper wrapper and arrange the filling, crosswise, into a log, leaving about a 1-inch border. Bring the lower part of the wrapper up over the filling to enclose it. Fold in the sides of the wrapper over the filling, and then roll into a tight cylinder. Press lightly to seal the edges. Transfer the finished rolls to a platter and cover with a damp paper towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. The rolls can be assembled several hours ahead. Cover them with a damp paper towel ,then plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Serve with the mango sauce or peanut sauce .
  • Variations Instead of crab, use cooked chicken (I even use store-bought rotisserie chicken sometimes, assuming it’s gluten free), shrimp, tofu, or grilled pork. You will need about 2 cups of bite-sized pieces of any of these.

4 Comments

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  1. Lea says:

    This sounds wonderful. I want to make these for a gathering where one of my friends is gluten free. I also have a friend who has an allergy to seafood. what can I use instead of fish sauce that is also gluten free?

    • laura says: (Author)

      You could use gluten-free tamari instead of the fish sauce. Many things could be used in place of the crab–cooked chicken, pork, tofu, or just additional vegetables.

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