Last Updated on January 9, 2024
Rich lobster meets fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables, thin rice noodles and buttery avocado, wrapped up in rice paper rolls to make this a fun, eat-with-your-hands meal. Thanks to the convenience of ButcherBox’s already-picked-for-you lobster meat, these rolls come together quickly, so you can enjoy them any time.
Rice paper rolls may seem intimidating, but they’re easy to master (and hey, if you need to unroll and re-roll a few, we won’t tell). These neutrally flavored wrappers, made from rice flour, water and sometimes tapioca starch, originated in East Asia, particularly in Vietnam and China. They’re firm at first, but when you soak them in a little water, they soften and become pliable.
Crucial to a good rice paper roll is a sauce for dipping, and this recipe includes a sweet and slightly spicy one with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chili oil, inspired by a Vietnamese condiment called nuoc cham.
Ingredients
- Salt
- 2 packages ButcherBox Cold Cracked Lobster Meat defrosted and pat dry
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tbsp chili oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 12 8¼-inch-round rice paper sheets
- 1 small head lettuce leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves or basil leaves or a combination
- 1 cup cooked rice vermicelli
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 1 cup julienned Persian cucumbers
- 1 large ripe avocado halved and pitted
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, season generously with salt, add the lobster and poach the lobster until opaque and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, then rinse the lobster under cold water, pat dry, and transfer to a plate. Once chilled, cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chili oil, sesame oil, shallot, fish sauce and coriander.
- Build the rolls one at a time. Fill a medium bowl with room temperature water. Dip and roll a rice paper sheet in the water, then lift it out, allowing any excess water drip to off. Place the sheet on a plate.
- Across the bottom third of the rice paper sheet, toward you, place a couple tablespoons of lettuce and herbs, followed by a small amount of vermicelli, carrot and cucumber. Fold the lip of rice paper closest to you over the filling, then tightly fold in the sides over that flap. Place a slice of avocado in the lip, followed by 3 to 4 pieces of lobster. Roll the package of filling away from you tightly, encasing the filling and creating a roll. Cover the completed roll with a damp kitchen towel so it doesn't dry out.
- Repeat with the remaining rice papers and filling. Serve the rolls with the dipping sauce.
Notes
- If Thai basil is available, use that (if not, regular basil is fine).
- You'll find rice vermicelli in the Asian section of your supermarket. Before making the rolls, cook the vermicelli and chill it according to the package label instructions.
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