Personal

Car Stuff

Extras

Crab Spring Rolls

From: Saveur
SERVES 4–6

4 oz. backfin crabmeat (small chunks from the rear fin area), picked through to remove any bits of shell
4 oz. medium shrimp, finely chopped
3 oz. ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. grated carrot (use the large-holed side of a box grater)
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 large shallots, finely chopped
12 8"-square spring roll wrappers
1 oz. bún (Vietnamese rice vermicelli)
1 egg white, beaten
Corn oil, for frying
12 bibb lettuce leaves, for garnish
12 sprigs Thai basil, for garnish
12 purple perilla leaves (called tía tô), for garnish (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice vermicelli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but firm to the bite, 1–3 minutes. Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Stir together crabmeat, shrimp, pork, garlic, carrots, salt, pepper, and shallots; set filling aside.

Make rolls: Working with 1 wrapper at a time, arrange wrapper so that a corner faces you. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp towel.) Place 2 tbsp. crab mixture and 1 tbsp. vermicelli on bottom third of wrapper, near corner facing you. Brush top corner with a little egg white. Lift bottom corner of wrapper over filling; pull wrapper back against filling to tighten cylinder. Fold in sides; roll cylinder forward, to form a 4"–long roll about 1" thick. Transfer to a platter.

Pour oil into a large pot to a depth of 2"; heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted into oil reaches 350°. Fry rolls until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer rolls to a paper towel–lined plate. To serve, wrap lettuce, basil, and perilla around rolls; serve with nuoc châm.