What I love about this recipe is how delightfully refreshing it is. I also love that it’s healthy, but I could easily eat it for lunch every day of the week and not get tired of it. What I also love is that it’s easy to meal prep and easy to pack. I also love that is has protein, and fat, and flavor. Need I go on? Salmon Spring Rolls with Peach Nước Chấm truly have it all. And if you are looking for a lunch that is jam-packed with summer flavor and nutrition? Well. Look no further.
Nước Chấm is traditionally a Vietnamese dipping sauce, made of chilies, vinegar or lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. I took a few liberties here, but the inspiration very much still comes from the classic Vietnamese sauce. It would have felt wrong to call it by any other name, so I wanted to give this peachy, spicy dressing its proper origin, and that is why this recipe is named as such!
First, let’s talk about nước chấm
Nước chấm at its core is an umbrella term for dipping sauces. There are different varieties of nước chấm, and they can range from sweet, to sour, to spicy.
In this recipe I am making a sauce that is jam-packed with herbs and peaches, giving it an aromatic heat and a bit of sweetness. The filling of the spring roll is then tossed in the sauce, which turns it away from being a nước chấm and being more of an ingredient for inside the spring roll. However, since the sauce so closely mimics other Vietnamese sauces, I felt like it fell into the same family!
Ingredients you will need for these salmon spring rolls
These spring rolls are vegetable PACKED. Which we, of course, love. Yet, there are always substitutions for every ingredient, which I’ll happily leave below. But for the original recipe, this is what you will need:
- 1 pound salmon
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound red cabbage, 1/2 of a head
- 1/2 pound carrots
- 5 large scallions
- 1 cup fresh mint, 1.5 ounces / 42 grams
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 1 ounce / 28 grams
- 2 medium peaches, 5 ounces / 140 grams
- 1 lime for both zest and juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 small Birdseye chilies
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or tamari
- 1 large avocado, 7 ounces / 200 grams
- 32 rice spring roll wrappers
OPTIONAL, FOR SERVING
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 4 teaspoons chili oil
What substitutions can you make in the ingredients list?
This is a great question, there are many things that can be subbed for what you have in your fridge! Here are some subs I suggest:
- If you don’t have salmon – you can easily sub in firm tofu, shrimp, or edamame as your protein!
- No red cabbage? – Green cabbage or savoy cabbage work just fine. Other toothsome vegetables like fennel and kohlrabi will work as a last resort, just make sure to shave them thinly!
- No carrots? – I love bean sprouts in their place!
- If you don’t have peaches – nectarines and apricots are great subs!
- If you don’t have Birdseye chilies – Fresno peppers work! Or, you can just do. a few teaspoons of hot sauce like Sambal Oelek in their place.
And of course, if you have the cilantro gene, you can sub it out for parsley!
How to assemble these salmon spring rolls
This recipe has a few steps, but once you get the hang of it, trust me, you’ll be meal-prepping these on repeat. Here’s how to make these Salmon Spring Rolls with Peach Nuoc Cham!
- First, bake the salmon until it is at least 135°F.
- Use a mandolin to thinly slice the red cabbage, or thinly slice it with a knife. Add it to a large bowl. Thinly slice the carrots and scallions and add them in with the cabbage. Tear in the cup of mint leaves. Mix and set aside.
- Then make the nuoc cham! Finely chop the 1/2 cup of cilantro and add it to a medium bowl. Pit and chop up the peaches into nearly a paste. Add them to the bowl with the cilantro.Grate in 1 teaspoon of lime zest. Squeeze in the lime juice, about 1 tablespoon. Grate the garlic cloves into the peaches, thinly slice the Birdseye chilies and add them in as well. Mix in the 1/2 cup of rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Taste and season with more fish sauce if preferred. This is the peach nước chấm.
- Add the nước chấm to the cabbage bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the avocado and set aside.
Assemble the rolls
- Now it’s time to assemble the spring rolls. Fill a shallow bowl with cool water. Dip each spring roll wrapper into the water fro 2-3 seconds, then move it to a clean work surface. Dip another spring roll wrapper and place it directly on top of the first one. Each roll should be double-wrapped like this to prevent breakage.
- Place 1/3 cup of the cabbage mixture to the center of the wrappers. Top with 2-3 slices of avocado and a little less than one ounce of salmon. Fold the top of the wrapper towards you, and fold the bottom of the wrapper up to meet the folded top. From there, roll one of the open sides of the wrapper to the center, creating a roll. Continue to roll it on top of the last open side of the wrapper, making a tight packet. Repeat to make 16 spring rolls.
- For serving, create a dipping sauce with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of chili oil. Serve each dipping sauce with four spring rolls and enjoy!
What is the best way to store these spring rolls for meal prep?
These spring rolls are great for a light lunch, and I’ve found four of them keep me plenty full. I like to nestle four of them together in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to five days. Just make sure to nestle them on an angle so that they pull apart easily. If they are on top of each other, they run the risk of sticking!
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few salmon recipes I love on the blog:
This sandwich is easy, filled with protein and packed with flavor. If you are a pescatarian looking for a craveable and packable lunch option – this sandwich is it! You can also serve it open-faced and fork-and-knife it.
This salmon recipe is sweet, slightly spicy, rich and tender, and done in no more than 30 minutes – and that’s being generous. If you want a quick, delicious and impressive protein that’s easy to make, this salmon recipe is it.
This easy, quick salmon recipe happens all in one pan and is perfect for a simple and delicious weeknight dinner. It uses lightly fried fresh ginger, any citrus you have on hand and a super quick sticky sauce to make a citrus glaze that is fresh but savory, and will have you coming back for seconds.
And that’s everything for this Salmon Spring Roll Recipe!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Salmon Spring Rolls with Peach Nước Chấm
This recipe makes 16 protein-packed and flavor-filled spring rolls that I love boxing into four lunch packs to have throughout the week. It’s a take on classic spring roll ingredients, with a unique peach Nước Chấm sauce that combines Vietnamese flavors and peak summer fruit to make a uniquely flavorful (and slightly spicy!) summer spring roll.
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound red cabbage 1/2 of a head
- 1/2 pound carrots
- 5 large scallions
- 1 cup fresh mint 1.5 ounces / 42 grams
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1 ounce / 28 grams
- 2 medium peaches 5 ounces / 140 grams
- 1 lime for both zest and juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 small Birdseye chilies
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce or tamari
- 1 large avocado 7 ounces / 200 grams
- 32 rice spring roll wrappers
Optional, for serving
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 4 teaspoons chili oil
Instructions
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Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Season the salmon liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Add it to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 14-15 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F.
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Flake the salmon off its skin, making big chunks. Set those aside.
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Use a mandolin to thinly slice the red cabbage, or thinly slice it with a knife. Add it to a large bowl. Thinly slice the carrots and scallions and add them in with the cabbage. Tear in the cup of mint leaves. Mix and set aside.
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Finely chop the 1/2 cup of cilantro and add it to a medium bowl. Pit and chop up the peaches into nearly a paste. Add them to the bowl with the cilantro.
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Grate in 1 teaspoon of lime zest. Squeeze in the lime juice, about 1 tablespoon. Grate the garlic cloves into the peaches, thinly slice the Birdseye chilies and add them in as well. Mix in the 1/2 cup of rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Taste and season with more fish sauce if preferred. This is the peach nước chấm!
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Add the nước chấm to the cabbage bowl and mix well. Set aside.
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Thinly slice the avocado and set aside.
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Now it’s time to assemble the spring rolls. Fill a shallow bowl with cool water. Dip each spring roll wrapper into the water fro 2-3 seconds, then move it to a clean work surface. Dip another spring roll wrapper and place it directly on top of the first one. Each roll should be double-wrapped like this to prevent breakage.
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Place 1/3 cup of the cabbage mixture to the center of the wrappers. Top with 2-3 slices of avocado and a little less than one ounce of salmon. Fold the top of the wrapper towards you, and fold the bottom of the wrapper up to meet the folded top. From there, roll one of the open sides of the wrapper to the center, creating a roll. Continue to roll it on top of the last open side of the wrapper, making a tight packet. Repeat to make 16 spring rolls.
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For serving, create a dipping sauce with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of chili oil. Serve each dipping sauce with four spring rolls and enjoy!
