Salmon spring rolls

Springrolls, lovely crispy springrolls! I have always loved them, apart from my very first try at a Chinese restaurant when I was small enough to barely reach above the table. I had no idea what it was, but it sounded fabulous, like spring in a roll. I asked if I could have one. It wasn't a small springroll like the ones I have made here, but large enough to make a meal alongside a pile of rice. Nope, I didn't like it. Luckily my parents had guessed as much as and also ordered something that I was more likely to enjoy and we swapped. A year later we were back at the same restaurant and I wanted a springroll again. But I didn't like it last time, my parents reminded me. I know, but I will this time. Big sigh! I loved it, honestly I did. Somehow I knew I would and I did. Since then my love affair with springrolls have flourished.

I grew up around the corner from a camp site by the beach. At the reception area was a fast food hole-in-the-wall, where you could get hotdogs, burgers, chips and springrolls. As a treat every so often I'd grab my bike and peddle down to the campsite to buy a springroll. Gunsan, the lady operating the hole-in-the-wall, would cut it open and drizzle soy sauce into it. Oh my! I couldn't wait to get home to devour it. Sometimes I didn't go home, but ate it right there and then with a plastic fork. 

For kids growing up in Sweden in the late 70s and early 80s, having a key and being allowed to be home alone was common. Sometimes I was extra hungry when I got back from school, especially when they had served evil beans or vile split pea soup in the canteen and I couldn't wait for mum to come home from work and cook dinner. Our freezer was rarely out of springrolls and I knew how to cook them in the oven. Yes, I was allowed to cook on my own when I was 8 years old and no, I never set the house on fire or fall into the oven. I need to mention though that we had an electric cooker, no gas or open flames. Anyway, two springrolls with soy sauce would see me through to dinner.

Strangely enough, as adult I never tried making my own and it was probably due to the fact of not deep frying anything at home. I would have something deep fried as a treat, but I'd never cook it myself. Imagine my joy when I found a recipe for baked springrolls a couple of years ago. That was the start of a new era and I haven't bought any ready made ones since then.

The good thing about springrolls is that you can put pretty much anything in them. A while ago I wrote a blog about springrolls with spiced mince. They weren't the best ones I have ever made and far from the prettiest. The filo pastry split and there was leakage. Not nice. The vegetarian version is handy, as you can match them with anything, but the tastiest I have made are the chicken springrolls. This time I had salmon to play with and wanted to give it a go. Scanning Pinterest for a good recipe, I failed to find anything suitable. Instead I had to use my experience and hope for the best. It worked really well and I managed to make the prettiest I have ever made, because they didn't leak (only a few leaked a little) and I didn't burn them.

When you make springrolls, feel free to season and fill them as you please. I like a chilli, garlic, ginger and soy sauce combo. This time I added some mirin as well, because I had it at home. In regards to filling, I never use rise, but stick to vegetables along with some sort of protein. Tiny carrot sticks, sliced pepper, shredded cabbage and bean sprouts work really well.

When it comes to filo pastry, there are many different brands and they vary in thickness. Sometimes I get away with only using a double layer, but sometimes even three layers can lead to leakage if the sheets are extra thin. Asda's own pastry is good and that's what I normally get. As they were out of stock, I got a pack from Tesco this time and it worked well.

When making springrolls, it is worth making a big batch as they freeze well and they are handy to have ready for a quick meal.

To my these salmon springrolls, you need:

400 g salmon fillets, deskinned and sliced

1 pack filo pastry

1/2 bag bean sprouts

a chunk of shredded cabbage

1 pepper, finely sliced

1/2 large carrot, cut into tiny sticks

1 onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

1. Get all ingredients out.

2. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger.

3. Soften the onion in a little oil in a frying pan.

4. Add the carrot sticks, garlic and ginger and fry for a minute.

5. Add the shredded cabbage and fry for a couple of minutes.

6. Add the bean sprouts and sauces. Cook until the vegetables have softened.

7. Take the skin off the salmon fillets and slice into half finger thick pieces.

8. Add the salmon to the vegetables and cook until the fish is almost done. Mix well.

9. Cut the filo pastry sheets into required size and layer up. 

Tesco's sheets were suitable to cut in half and double up.

10. Place a decent spoonful of filling near the bottom edge of the sheet. Make sure there is no liquid in the mixture, or the springrolls will leak and stick to the oven tray.

11. Fold in the sides.

12. Roll and take care not to tear the pastry.

13. Heat up a little oil on an oven tray. Hot oil is runnier and you'll need less. Roll 

the springrolls once in the oil and place on the tray with the 'seam' down.

14. Bake for 10 minutes and flip them over.

I normally bake them for 15 minutes and they end up as brown on top as the ones I have already flipped over in this photo. Do what suits you and your oven. Bake them for longer if you want crispier springrolls, but make sure they don't burn or split. Trial and error.

15. As you can see, a few leaked a little bit, but most of them didn't. I think the ones that leaked were the last ones I made and there was more liquid in the filling, even if I tried to avoid it.

16. Dish up and enjoy the crispy goodness.

I made the batch early in the day and warmed a portion up at dinner time, 

10-15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees. As I had made them pale to 

start with, there was no risk of burning them when reheating. 

Today I served with vegetable Singapore mei fun. It was a lovely meal.