These fresh shrimp and pork spring rolls are rice paper rolls filled with cooked pork mince, whole shrimp, vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs, and pickled carrots — served cold with a dipping sauce. They take some practice to roll neatly, but the ingredients are straightforward and there is no hot oil involved. If you want a light, no-fuss meal that comes together at room temperature, this is a solid choice.
Smart swaps
- Rice paper wrappers: Found in the Asian foods aisle of most supermarkets or any Asian grocery store. No real substitute — they are essential to the texture of this dish.
- Thai basil: Regular Italian basil works if you cannot find Thai basil. The flavor is milder but still good.
- Vermicelli rice noodles: Any thin rice noodle works. Cook them according to the packet, rinse under cold water immediately, and drain well — clumping is the main problem if you skip the rinse.
- Pickled carrots: If you do not have time to pickle your own, a small splash of rice vinegar stirred into plain julienned carrots gives you a similar effect in a pinch.
- Shrimp: Pre-cooked, peeled shrimp from the freezer section are fine here — thaw them fully and pat dry before using. Skip the garnish of whole shrimp on top of the platter — not worth the extra dish.
Before you start
The two things that trip people up most are the rice paper hydration and the pork mince temperature. For the rice paper, dip each sheet in warm (not boiling) water for about 8 to 10 seconds — it should still feel slightly stiff when you lay it flat, because it continues to soften as you fill and roll it. If it is fully limp in the water, it will tear when you try to fold it. For the pork mince, cook it through completely — ground pork must reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) with no pink remaining — then spread it on a plate and let it cool to room temperature before you roll. Warm filling makes the rice paper sticky and difficult to handle, and it can cause the herbs to wilt inside the roll.
If something goes sideways
- Rice paper tears while rolling: You over-soaked it. Next sheet, pull it out of the water a few seconds earlier. Also make sure your filling is not too bulky — overfilling is the other common cause of tears.
- Rolls are falling apart or unrolling on the plate: The seam needs to rest face-down for a minute after rolling so it seals. Do not move them immediately.
- Noodles are clumped into a solid mass: Rinse them under cold running water right after draining, then toss with a tiny drop of neutral oil to keep them separate.
- Pork mince is dry and crumbly inside the roll: It was cooked too long or on too high a heat. Next time, cook on medium and pull it off the heat as soon as no pink remains — carryover heat will finish the job.
- Dipping sauce is too salty or too sweet: Add a small squeeze of lime juice to balance it out — acid cuts through both problems quickly.
Leftovers and meal prep
Assembled spring rolls are best eaten the day they are made. If you need to store them, wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day — after that the rice paper becomes tough and rubbery. Do not freeze assembled rolls. For meal prep, cook and cool the pork mince up to two days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Pickled carrots keep in the fridge for up to a week. Prep everything else the day you plan to eat, then assemble to order — this is genuinely the most practical approach if you are making these for a group.
Authentic Vietnamese Inspired Shrimp and Pork Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 pack rice paper
- 1 head red leaf lettuce - washed and separated
3 leaves Romaine lettuce - washed and separated
½ head red cabbage - julienned
Instructions
- Set up your mise en place of red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, cooked shrimp, separated mint leaves, tio to leaves, pickled carrots, and pork.
- Carefully take one sheet of rice paper and dip it into the bowl of warm water. Turn the rice paper so that way every inch of it touches the warm water. Your goal is to soften the paper so that it is malleable and like a thin, sticky sheet. Carefully and skillfully lay it on top of your flat surface. I used a large plate.
- Start with 1 red lettuce folded in half. You want to keep these ingredients centred about 2/4 of the centre section giving 1/4 of the width of the rice paper on each side.
- Next, add 1 leaf of the romaine lettuce folded in half too. This will give the roll a backbone because of its thicker leaf. Next, add about 3 pieces of cooked shrimp, about 6 strands of red cabbage, 2 long pieces of green onion, 1 to 2 slices of cucumber, 2 to 3-month leaves, 1 to 2 basil leaves, and finally a pinch or two of the pork floss. You’re going to want to add the pickled daikon and carrots in the roll or leave it to eat with the rolls as you are taking a bite, like a condiment.
- Now that you have all your ingredients centred in a neat pile, you are going to carefully fold the bottom side of the rice paper over the pile with your thumbs and then carefully tuck the pile of fresh ingredients in with your fingers into a tighter pile into toward the bottom of the paper.
- Tighten the roll by using your fingers on top of it and moving them closer to your body. You want tightly kept rolls and enough paper to fold over the roll’s surface.
- Fold and tuck the left and right sides of the roll onto the pile as tightly as possible. Be careful not to manipulate the rice paper too coarsely. These are very thin when wet and extremely sensitive to the edges of vegetables.
- Finally, finish rolling upward toward the top of the rice paper.
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I use raw shrimp instead of cooked shrimp?
Yes, but you need to cook them first — ground or whole seafood must reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) before eating. Boil or pan-cook the shrimp until pink and opaque all the way through, then cool them completely before adding to the rolls.
How do I stop the rice paper from sticking to my board or to other rolls?
Work on a damp clean tea towel rather than a dry cutting board — the slight moisture prevents sticking without making the paper soggy. Keep finished rolls spaced apart on the plate; they will fuse together if they touch.
My pork mince looks cooked on the outside but I am not sure it is done — how can I tell?
The only reliable way is to check that there is no pink remaining anywhere in the mince and, if you have a meat thermometer, that it reads 160°F (71°C). Break up the mince well as it cooks so there are no large clumps hiding raw meat in the center.
Try these next
- Savory Pork Noodle Stir-Fry
- Crispy Pork Dumpling Delight
- Japanese Pork Lettuce Cups
- Authentic Szechuan Dan Dan
