Prawn and Avocado Summer Rolls
Matt puts avocado into more or less everything he makes, and I have never really understood the appeal of them. I’ll happily admit I was wrong about these though. Wrapped up with sweet prawns, crunchy cucumber and a lot of fresh herbs, the avocado stops being the point and just makes everything else taste better. Nothing gets cooked apart from the prawns, which on a hot day is exactly what I want.
Rice paper wrappers are the only slightly unfamiliar bit, and they’re much easier to use than they look. You dip one in warm water for about fifteen seconds, until it’s pliable but still a bit firm, then lay it on a damp tea towel and fill it. It carries on softening while you roll, so if you wait until it’s completely floppy in the water you’ll have a sticky mess on your hands.
Don’t overfill them. A small pile of everything sitting just below the middle of the wrapper is plenty. Fold the bottom up and over the filling, tuck the sides in, then roll it up firmly like a little parcel, keeping everything tight as you go. The first one is always a disaster and the rest are fine.
These are best eaten within an hour or two of making them, so they’re not really a make-ahead job. If you do need to hang on to them for a bit, keep them under a damp piece of kitchen roll in the fridge so the wrappers don’t dry out and split. Serve with the dipping sauce alongside.
Prawn and Avocado Summer Rolls
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Serving size: 288g
Calories per serving: 290
Fat per serving: 9g
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 12 round rice paper wrappers
- 300g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cucumber, cut into thin batons
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves shredded
- Small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
- Small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked
- 1 tsp sesame oil
For the dipping sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
Method
- Place a frying pan on a medium-high heat with the sesame oil. Add the king prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until they have turned pink and opaque all the way through.
- Tip the prawns onto a plate and leave them to cool completely, then slice each one in half lengthways so they lie flat.
- Mix the soy sauce, lime juice, honey and sliced red chilli together in a small bowl to make the dipping sauce, and set it to one side.
- Get everything else lined up in front of you: the avocado, cucumber, shredded lettuce and picked herbs. Rolling goes much faster if it's all within reach before you start.
- Fill a wide shallow bowl with warm water and lay a damp tea towel on the worktop next to it.
- Dip one rice paper wrapper into the water for around 15 seconds, until it is pliable but still slightly firm, then lay it flat on the tea towel.
- Arrange 3 prawn halves in a line just below the middle of the wrapper, then pile a little lettuce, cucumber, avocado and a few herb leaves on top of them.
- Fold the bottom edge up and over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll it up firmly into a tight parcel. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers.
- Serve the rolls whole or halved on the diagonal, with the dipping sauce alongside.
