Sweet Chili Salmon Spring Rolls with Rice Paper

Have you ever found yourself with a lot of leftover salmon and no idea what to do with it? That’s exactly where I was after my grocery order came with a whopping 4-pound filet of salmon. Determined not to let it go to waste, I did some kitchen experimenting that led to the creation of these Sweet Chili Salmon Spring Rolls. They're a fresh, flavorful, and fun way to use up leftovers that you're sure to love. We'll go over how to cook it too, so no worries if you have salmon fillets instead of leftovers to start.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy and Quick: Rice paper is actually pretty forgiving as far as wraps go, so these are easy to assemble!
• Customizable: You can easily swap vegetables based on what you have on hand, and use your favorite dipping sauce to make these your own.
• Nutritious: Packed with baked fish and fresh veggies, these spring rolls are a meal you can feel good about.
• Perfect for Leftovers: A delightful way to repurpose leftover salmon, so nothing goes to waste.

Let's Get Started! Here's What You'll Need:

Ingredients:

Salmon- Fresh salmon gives you the best flavor for this dish, but you can use canned salmon or smoked salmon if that's what you have.

Rice Paper- In the grocery store these are often labeled as Spring Roll Wrappers in the international aisle.

Vegetables- We're using cucumber for crunch, along with spinach, carrots, and avocado. Yes, I know avocado is technically a fruit. So is cucumber, actually. You can swap in whatever veggies you like- purple cabbage is another common spring roll ingredient with great crunch.

Sauce- You can use your favorite if sweet chilli sauce isn't one you're a huge fan of.

Equipment:

You'll need just a few basic kitchen tools today: a pie pan or large rimmed plate for wetting the rice wraps, a sharp knife for slicing the vegetables, a cutting board for preparation, and a clean, flat surface to roll everything up.

If you're starting with raw salmon, you'll also need a baking sheet, some aluminum foil for easy clean up, and a spoon or something to spread your chili sauce over the fish.

How to Make This Salmon Spring Rolls Recipe:

Step 1: Cook The Salmon

If you don't have leftover salmon, line a baking pan with aluminum foil and place your raw salmon skin side down on the foil. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and generously coat the salmon with sweet chili sauce. Once the oven is preheated, cook until the fish is 145 degrees as measured with a food thermometer. Most filets will take 12-15 minutes, the 2 pound slab pictured here took almost 20.

Step 2: Prepare Your Vegetables

Grab a cutting board and your cucumber and cut yourself about a 4 inch section. Use your knife to peel the cucumber skin and slice the cucumber in half, then chop lengthwise to make wide matchsticks. Slice your avocado thinly, we'll use 2 thin slices in each of the fresh spring rolls, which is about ¼ of a large avocado, or ½ of a smaller one. If you didn't buy preshredded carrots go ahead and chop those as well, and rinse your spinach. Assembling goes quickly, so we'll want everything ready to go.

Step 3: Assemble The Salmon Summer Rolls

Take your first rice paper wrapper and submerge it in water for 10-15 seconds, until it becomes pliable but not so long that it becomes super soft. It'll continue to soften as you assemble and we don't want it to rip. You can do this in a large rimmed dinner plate, or use a pie plate that you've put a cup or so of cold water in.

Shake off any excess water and move the rice paper sheet to your cutting board. About two thirds down, lay your fresh vegetables on the spring roll wrappers, then top with the salmon pieces.

Take the sides of the rice paper wraps and fold them on top of the salmon- it's okay if they don't touch. Then grab the lower third of the wrapper and pull it over the the fillings and continue to roll- the rice paper will stick to itself, sealing the spring roll.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make the rest of your rolls.

Step 4: Serve and Enjoy

If you're making these to eat right away, go ahead and serve! If you're making them as party food, you'll want to soak a dish cloth or paper towel in some warm water and ring it out, then use the damp towel to cover the rice paper rolls so they don't dry out.

Variations

Make these your own spring rolls by mixing it up with different fillings! Here are a few other great combinations:

Philadelphia Style- Salmon, creamy avocado, and cream cheese. Garnish with sesame seeds and dip in soy sauce like you would a sushi roll.

Peanut Lover- Salmon, vermicelli noodles, crushed peanuts, and green onions. Serve with peanut sauce of course!

Lemon & Garlic- Lemon pepper salmon, roasted garlic cloves or garlic powder, and your favorite veggies. Mix some olive oil and lemon juice for dipping.

More Leftover Ideas

Have more leftover salmon to use? Try these salmon ceasar wraps!

Have steak? Toss it in a creamy steak pasta. Pulled pork? Make these tasty pulled pork tacos!

Enjoy!

I hope you love these salmon spring rolls! They make a perfect light lunch, they're also a great appetizer at a dinner party- no matter when you enjoy them, I'd love if you come back and let me know how it turned out for you.

📖 Recipe