Spring rolls! It’s spring! We’re stoked for turkey season, warm weather and spring thunder, like just about everyone we know right now. This recipe is pretty similar to our rabbit-stuffed bitter melon recipe, but we’ve tweaked it just a little bit and added shrimp too. 

We’ll eat these with some lettuce or shiso leaves for lunch, or chop them up and serve them over rice vermicelli noodles with lettuce, bean sprouts and herbs for a heartier dinner. They are always a hit at potlucks and one of the best ways to introduce non-hunters to wild game.

Turkey & Shrimp Spring Rolls

Yields: 25-30 spring rolls

Cook time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb turkey breast

1 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail removed)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 bunches scallions, greens cut ~¼” crosswise

1” ginger, peeled, minced

2 tbsp chili sambal or other chili sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp salt

1 cup rehydrated mushrooms, diced (we used oyster mushrooms, but wood ears or shiitakes work well)

1 cup cooked bean thread or glass noodles, cut into ~2” segments.

25-30 spring roll wrappers

Method:

Combine the meat and the shrimp and grind through the coarse die of your meat grinder. If the turkey meat is already ground, dice up the shrimp and mix with the turkey.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cook a small portion and adjust seasoning as needed.

Roll up with a spring roll wrapper (just like making a tiny burrito), sealing the edges with a mix of beaten egg and water.

Fry until golden brown, ~2 minutes per side.

Serve with lettuce to wrap, nouc cham (below), or chop up the spring rolls and serve over rice noodles with herbs and bean sprouts.

Nuoc Cham

3 limes, juice of

3 tbsp sugar

½ cup water

6 tbsp fish sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp carrot, grated

2-4 thai chili peppers, minced

Combine all ingredients and bring to a slow simmer, stir to dissolve sugar. Stores pretty much indefinitely in a glass jar in the refrigerator.