Crispy spring rolls with moist autumn salmon and mushrooms; Seasonal recipe for harvest time, inspired by the flavors of Japan

For this harvest time, Chef Ryo Imai shared a recipe for spring rolls using seasonal fall salmon and maitake mushrooms. Japanese-inspired spring rolls feature a mouth-watering contrast between their crispy skin and meaty filling.

Spring rolls served in Chinese restaurants are usually made with meat and bamboo filling, which takes a lot of time and effort to prepare.

“But at home, it’s easy to make them by simply wrapping lightly seasoned fish or other ingredients of your choice, because frying steams the filling, resulting in soft spring rolls,” said Imai.

According to Imai, fall salmon, with its low fat content, is ideal for providing a light, fresh taste to the filling.

Spring roll wrappers should be cooked until crispy, but “salmon and mushroom spring rolls should be even crispier than regular spring rolls,” Imai said.

Cut the salmon into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with salt before refrigerating for about 10 minutes.

Dry to remove excess moisture and bad odors. This will prevent the fish from becoming soggy after being fried.

There is also a tip for frying:

First, fry the spring rolls slowly over low heat at 160°C. Then increase the heat to medium and fry for another 4-5 minutes until they start to brown, then transfer them to a plate.

The spring rolls will continue to cook in the residual heat once set aside. This will also prevent their skin from becoming damp.

Then fry them again until they turn golden brown.

“They need to be fried twice, otherwise they tend to get soggy and mushy over time. Please fry them twice to better enjoy their crispy texture,” said Imai.

Even when holding them with chopsticks, they have a crunchy feel. Taking a bite, the flavors burst through the crunch of the packaging onto my tongue.

The moist salmon and maitake mushrooms also give off a mouth-watering aroma. Spanish mackerel or barracuda can be substituted to enjoy different flavor combinations.

Pumpkin seasoned with sansho pepper, miso

Imai also shared a recipe for pumpkin seasoned with ground Japanese sansho pepper and miso, which can be a good side dish for spring rolls.

Cut 150 grams of pumpkin into 3 centimeter cubes. Place on a heatproof plate, cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 600 watts for 3 minutes. Mix 2 teaspoons of miso and vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar and soy sauce, and a pinch of ground Japanese sansho pepper in a bowl. Add the pumpkin and mix. The vinegar gives the dish a refined and refreshing flavor.

Autumn spring rolls with salmon and mushrooms

Ingredients (6 rolls):

• 2 fillets of raw salmon
• 80 grams of maitake mushrooms
• 6 sheets of spring roll wrappers
• 6 green shiso leaves
• Frying oil





Instructions:

1. Remove the skin from the salmon and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Also break the maitake mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.

2. Sprinkle salmon with 1/3 teaspoon salt and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Pat dry.

3. Arrange a spring roll sheet diagonally with one corner pointing toward you. Stack, in order, a green shiso leaf, salmon and maitake mushrooms, slightly off-center towards you, with space to fold them over. Fold the corner of the wrapper over to cover the filling, then repeat with the left and right corners. Roll up the rest of the roll and seal the edges with flour dissolved in a little water. Prepare six spring rolls.

4. Put the spring rolls in oil at 160 C and fry them over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until they turn light golden brown. Move to a platter and let rest for about 2 minutes.

5. Increase the heat and return the spring rolls to the oil. Fry until they turn golden brown. Place on a tray to drain the oil before serving.




• 
  

  
  

  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Sprinkle salt over salmon.

• 
  

  
  

  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Place a green shiso leaf, salmon and maitake mushrooms on top of each other on a spring roll sheet.

• 
  

  
  

  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Place the spring rolls on a baking sheet for about 2 minutes before frying them a second time.