- by Miriam Thom
Black Tiger Shrimp Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
- by Miriam Thom
From the Seatopia kitchen In-house
Recipe by Miriam Thom
Culinary Education at Seatopia — she develops the recipes that ship with the boxes and teaches the member cooking classes
Makes 10–12 rolls · about 45 minutes · no oven
Sweet black tiger shrimp, gently poached in an aromatic lime broth, rolled up with crisp vegetables, fresh herbs and rice noodles, with a quick black garlic peanut sauce for dipping.
Every ingredient shows through the rice paper, so Miriam builds each roll like a little window: the shrimp go in first, cut-side up, so they face out once the roll is closed.
At a glance
About 45 minutes
Ten minutes for the broth and shrimp, a few for the noodles, and the rest is rolling.
10–12 rolls
One 16 oz bag of Mangrove Black Tiger Shrimp. Slice each shrimp lengthwise for 10–12 rolls, or keep them whole for 4–6.
No oven
One pot for the shrimp, one for the noodles, and a wide bowl of warm water for the rice paper.
Curled into a C
Pull the shrimp after 2–3 minutes, when they curl into a C and turn pink and opaque, then straight into ice water.
How it comes together
Poach, chill, roll.
Set everything up before the first sheet of rice paper gets wet. Once you start rolling, it goes quickly.
Infuse the broth 5 minutes
Step 1Water, crushed garlic, bay, peppercorns, star anise, salt and half a lime, brought to a boil and then held at a gentle simmer.
Poach the shrimp 2–3 minutes
Step 2Peeled, tails off, into the barely simmering broth until they curl into a C and turn pink and opaque.
Ice bath 2 minutes
Step 3Straight into ice water to stop the cooking, then drained, patted dry and sliced lengthwise for more rolls.
Noodles 3 minutes
Step 4Boiled, then rinsed and stirred under cold water so they don’t clump, and drained well.
Roll 2–3 seconds a sheet
Step 5Dip the rice paper until just pliable, shrimp cut-side up just above center, filling below, then fold and roll tight.
Line up the rice paper, a wide bowl of warm water, a damp cutting board, then the lettuce, herbs, vegetables, noodles and shrimp, in that order.
Black Tiger Shrimp Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
Miriam Thom
10-12
25 minutes
20 minutes
Sweet black tiger shrimp poached in an aromatic lime broth, rolled with crisp vegetables, fresh herbs and rice noodles, with a quick black garlic peanut sauce. Makes 10–12 rolls.
Ingredients
Poached Shrimp
- 1 bag Seatopia Mangrove Black Tiger Shrimp (16 oz), thawed
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 star anise pod
- 1 tsp salt
- Juice of ½ lime (save the other half for the sauce)
- Ice water, for chilling
Rolls
- 12 sheets rice paper (8–9 inch rounds), plus a few extra in case of tears
- 4 oz vermicelli rice noodles
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 1 small bunch Thai or sweet basil, leaves picked
- 1 small bunch mint, leaves picked
- ½ cup pickled radish (daikon), cut into matchsticks
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
- 1 jalapeño, cut into thin matchsticks (seeds removed for less heat)
Black Garlic Peanut Sauce
- 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp black garlic shoyu
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- Juice of ½ lime
- A few tbsp hot water, to thin
Directions
- Prep the shrimp. Peel the thawed shrimp. Remove the tails so the rolls are easy to eat. Pat them dry.
- Make the poaching liquid. In a medium pot, combine the water, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, star anise, salt and the juice of ½ lime. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes to infuse.
- Poach. Add the shrimp and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, until they curl into a "C" and turn pink and opaque.
- Chill. Move the shrimp straight into a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes to stop the cooking. Drain, pat dry and set aside. For more rolls, slice each shrimp in half lengthwise.
- Cook the noodles. Boil the vermicelli for 3 minutes, or as the package directs. Drain in a colander and immediately rinse and stir under cold water so they don't clump. Drain well and set aside.
- Set up an assembly line. Arrange the rice paper, a wide bowl or large shallow plate of warm water, a damp cutting board, then the lettuce, herbs, vegetables, noodles and shrimp in that order.
- Soften the rice paper. Dip one sheet in the water for 2–3 seconds, until just pliable. It will keep softening on the board, so don't wait for it to go limp.
- Fill. Lay the shrimp halves cut-side up in a row just above the center; they become the window on the finished roll. Below them, add a lettuce leaf, a small bundle of noodles, a few matchsticks of each vegetable, and some basil and mint. Leave about 2 inches clear on every side.
- Roll. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling and tuck it snugly. Fold in both sides, then roll up tightly toward the top like a burrito, tucking as you go. Place seam-side down on a platter and cover with a damp towel while you finish the rest.
- Make the sauce. Whisk the peanut butter, black garlic shoyu, honey, ginger and lime juice together. Add hot water a little at a time until the sauce is smooth and spoonable. Taste and adjust with more lime, shoyu or honey.
- Serve. Arrange the rolls so the colorful fillings show. Serve with the sauce for dipping or spooning over.
Everything on this plate
One bag of our Mangrove Black Tiger Shrimp is the only thing from the freezer. Whiteleg Shrimp is the swap for smaller rolls. The rest is rice paper, vermicelli, butter lettuce, basil, mint, pickled radish, a red bell pepper, a cucumber, a jalapeño, and for the sauce peanut butter, black garlic shoyu, honey, ginger and a lime.
$7.75
/serving
Sweet, briny shrimp with a natural richness, best enjoyed quickly seared for a delicate snap or pan-fried to preserve their depth.
$315.00
This box brings together sweet, succulent shrimp, rich king salmon, and delicately cold-smoked steelhead lox, each sourced from innovative aquaculture farms and lab-tested for purity.
The black garlic peanut sauce
Five ingredients, one whisk.
Black garlic shoyu gives the sauce a deep, slightly sweet savoriness. Mix it while the shrimp chill.
1
Whisk the base
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter, 2 tbsp black garlic shoyu, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp grated ginger and the juice of the other half lime.
2
Thin with hot water
A little at a time, until the sauce is smooth and spoonable rather than stiff.
3
Taste and adjust
More lime for brightness, more shoyu for depth, more honey to round it out. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it again just before serving.
Swaps that work
Miriam’s rolls are a starting point. Swap in whatever you have.
| As written | Easy swap | What changes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The shrimp | Mangrove Black Tiger Shrimp | Whiteleg Shrimp | Smaller and milder; keep them whole and use two or three per roll |
| The shoyu | Black garlic shoyu | Regular soy sauce or tamari | Less deep and less sweet; add a little more honey |
| The nut butter | Creamy peanut butter | Almond butter | Milder; a few drops of toasted sesame oil bring back the roasted note |
| The herbs | Thai basil and mint | Cilantro and mint | Brighter and less anise-like |
| The pickle | Pickled radish | Quick-pickled carrot | Sweeter, with the same crunch and tang |
| The chile | Jalapeño | Thai bird chile, thinly sliced | Much hotter; use a few slices per roll |
A simmer, not a boil
Our black tiger shrimp arrive easy-peel and already deveined, so prep is just peeling, pulling off the tails and patting them dry. Thaw the bag in the fridge overnight. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer once the shrimp go in: they are done in 2–3 minutes, when they curl into a C and turn pink and opaque. Move them straight into ice water for 2 minutes so they stop cooking and stay tender.
Mangrove Black Tiger Shrimp, tested and published
Each bag holds 16 oz of head-off, easy-peel black tiger shrimp, already deveined. They are raised extensively within protected mangrove forest at Tarakan, Indonesia.
Our Mangrove Black Tiger Shrimp tested at about 40 mg of marine omega-3s (EPA + DHA) and 18 mcg selenium, per 4 oz portion of raw, easy-peel shrimp. Values vary by sample and season.
Low mercury, tested to a tenth of the FDA action level. Every supplier is third-party tested for nutrition, mercury and microplastics, then randomly audited to ensure consistent compliance with the Seatopia Standard. Farms named, panels published.
Shrimp fresh rolls, answered
How do I thaw the shrimp?
Move the bag to the fridge the night before. Once thawed, peel the shrimp, pull off the tails so the rolls are easy to eat, and pat them dry. They arrive already deveined.
How do I know the shrimp are cooked?
They curl into a C and turn pink and opaque all the way through, usually in 2–3 minutes at a gentle simmer. Move them straight into ice water so they stop cooking.
Why does my rice paper tear?
It was soaked too long. Dip each sheet for only 2–3 seconds, until just pliable: it keeps softening on the board. Roll on a damp cutting board, leave about 2 inches clear on every side, and keep a few extra sheets on hand.
Can I make them ahead?
Poach the shrimp, cook the noodles, cut the vegetables and mix the sauce up to a day ahead, and store each separately in the fridge. Roll close to serving time.
How long do rolled rolls keep?
About 2 hours at room temperature under a damp towel. Keep them from touching, or they stick together and tear.
My sauce got thick. What do I do?
It thickens as it sits. Whisk in a splash of hot water just before serving.
More seafood to cook this week
Recipes from our kitchen and from the people who cook with us.
