Seafood Spring Rolls are undeniably one of my favourite Chinese appetizers ever, and I am thrilled to share this simple recipe with you today.

Popular as a dim sum dish, street food, or even at Chinese New Year, these crispy bars of seafood perfection consist of a creamy mixed seafood filling, encased in a thin and crispy dough.

And while the prospect of making them from scratch might seem daunting, you’ll be surprised to find that the filling is actually very easy to throw together, and that (after some practice) wrapping them isn’t so tough either.

So, keep scrolling for our foolproof seafood spring roll recipe. We hope it adds a spring-kle of delicious joy to your day.

Tips for Nailing These Seafood Spring Rolls

If you’re new to making your own seafood spring rolls, then there are some important tips you should keep in mind.

Pick the right wrapper

This recipe uses large (8.5″) Chinese spring roll wrappers. You can usually find them in the frozen section of any Asian supermarket as “Spring Roll Pastry”.

IMPORTANT: You want the Chinese-style spring roll wrappers which are made of wheat flour, not the Vietnamese style “Spring Roll Wrappers” which are rice-based, so be sure to pick the right ones. When in doubt, look at the pictures on the package. You want to see photos of crispy, golden brown spring rolls like these:

Make sure to properly dry all your seafood

Squeezing out all the excess moisture is really crucial when it comes to your seafood spring roll filling.

In this recipe, we blanch the seafood before adding it to our sauce and seasonings.

It is really important in this step that you properly dry all the seafood with a paper towel, and squeeze out excess moisture, otherwise too much moisture might get released during the frying process, which disrupts their frying/crisping process.

Wrap your rolls tightly

One of the most challenging parts of this Seafood Spring Roll recipe is getting the wrapping technique right.

We explain the technique in-depth below, but one thing to always remember is you don’t want excess space inside your spring roll!

Ideally, the roll should be tight and packed with filling, so anytime you are folding/rolling, be sure to wrap tightly around your log of filling so that it’s nice and secure, with minimal air bubbles and excess room.

Wrap and then fry right away

Speed is of the essence when it comes to making these seafood spring rolls. Leaving the filling or wrapped spring rolls too long gives a chance for moisture to escape and potentially make the spring rolls too soggy, so work quickly, and be sure to fry those bad boys right away!

NOTE: If you leave your wrappers out too long, they might also dry out, so again, speed is of the essence, and make sure to keep your wrappers partially covered/protected while you work.

Ingredients for Our Seafood Spring Rolls Recipe

• 1 pack of large spring roll wrappers
• 150g shrimp, cut into small pieces
• 100g scallop, cut into small pieces
• 100g imitation crab, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• A pinch white pepper powder
• To seal: 1 tablespoon of water, mixed with either a beaten egg OR one tsp cornstarch

Step by Step Instructions for Our Seafood Spring Rolls Recipe

These seafood spring rolls might take a bit of work, but they are more than worth the effort. Here are the step by step instructions!

Prep your wrappers in advance by separating them. This will help make the wrapping process more efficient later on.

To prepare the “sealer” for your spring rolls later, you have two options:

• Option 1: Make an egg wash by beating an egg with one tsp of water
• Option 2: Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water

Prep all your seafood by chopping it up into small bite-sized pieces.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1/2 tsp salt.

Add in your shrimp, scallops, and imitation crab. Boil for 30 seconds and then remove your seafood to dunk in a bowl of ice water. Drain your seafood, and pat it dry with a paper towel.

In a large bowl, add your shrimp, scallops, and imitation crab, along with mayonnaise, salt, white pepper, and lemon juice. Set your bowl aside.

Be sure to start wrapping right away! Lay your wrapper flat on a table/counter with a corner pointing towards you, like a diamond.

Add 2 tablespoons of filling halfway between the corner closest to you, and the middle of the wrapper.

Then fold the corner closest to you up to meet the middle of the wrapper, like in the photo below.

Roll the wrapper inwards towards the middle once, so it looks like this:

Then fold the two sides of the wrapper inward to meet with the filling, creating the look of an opened envelope like this:

Keep rolling until you reach the final corner, with this much remaining:

To firmly seal your spring roll, dip your fingers into either your egg wash or cornstarch slurry, then apply to the final corner of your wrapper before sealing.

Roll upwards one final time and press that loose corner in to seal everything properly.

Repeat this process until you’ve used up all your filling.

To deep fry all your beautiful spring rolls, heat a pot of oil to about 350°F until golden brown.

Remove and drain on some paper towel to remove excess oil, then enjoy with some plum sauce or a dipping sauce of your choice!

We Hope You Enjoy Our Seafood Spring Rolls Recipe!

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions, or be sure to let us know if you’ve tested the recipe out. We’re always looking to improve our recipes and make sure they taste great for everyone.