Cajun Shrimp Rolls

When I was in New Orleans several months ago, I ordered a Crawfish Roll on a whim from one of the food vendors. I didn’t really know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a yummy eggroll filled with a crawfish/seafood stuffing. It was so good and I knew I wanted to come up with a version to serve as an appetizer at home.

I’m 99% sure the eggroll was stuffed with grits (although I’d never had them before!), so this is my first attempt making them. I knew I didn’t want too must moisture in the filling, so I kept them on the drier side after cooking them, and then mixed in some Cajun spices, red peppers, green onions, and shrimp. I had a little leftover goat cheese so I mixed it with a bit of lime juice and served it on top!

Cajun Shrimp Rolls
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 green onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry yellow grits
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped
8 spring roll wrappers, thawed
2 ounces goat cheese
Juice of one lime

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan and sauté green onions and red peppers for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat.

Combine grits and chicken stock in a small pot and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until grits are tender. Stir in paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and salt. Mix in vegetable mixture and shrimp.

Evenly fill spring roll wrappers according to the package directions. Briefly, top each wrapper with an equal amount of shrimp mixture across the center, from point to point. Roll up bottom point, tuck in sides and roll up. Using moistened fingers, wet the last point and roll up to seal. Place rolls, sealed side down, on a large cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile mix goat cheese and lime juice in a small bowl. Serve rolls with goat cheese mixture. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 143 calories, 3.6g fat, 0.8g fiber, 8.0g protein per serving
Cost: $1.07 per serving