Vietnamese "Nachos"

I am in full Pantry Challenge mode, and it isn't even Christmas.  One of the things I've been chipping away at is the package of spring roll wrappers I bought in July.  Like pasta, they have a long shelf life, so it isn't a worry about expiration dates.  The rolls are just so finicky to make that I find easier dinners to schedule.

Then I found out that you can fry them in wedges, and making nachos instantly came to mind.  I decided to serve them as a deconstructed summer roll.  The dipping sauce becomes a salad dressing, and you have a light meal with minimal fuss.

The salad part is pretty easy, and is basically whatever you would have put in the summer roll if you had wrapped it.  Chopped lettuce of choice, carrot, and whatever else sounds good.  I had one leftover tomato, so that got diced and tossed in.  It isn't an authentic Vietnamese ingredient, but it really worked.  Some radishes, mint, green onion, and cilantro from the garden livened it up.  I got out the V-slicer with the julienne blade for the carrot and radish, just to have a bit of fun.  I opened a can of salmon for protein, since the price of fresh could give you a heart attack these days, and the meal came together in a snap.

Unlike flour or corn tortillas, the fried rice paper will not support other ingredients.  It's really more of a crouton.  The nacho design is just for presentation, which is why it's in quotes in the post title.

Dressing

*1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp ground lemongrass
2 Tb rice vinegar
3 Tb grapeseed (or other neutral) oil
*1 Tb hoisin sauce
* tsp fish sauce

1.  Add all ingredients to a lidded container.  Seal and shake.  Set aside until ready to assemble.

Salad

*about 8 leaves lettuce of choice, chopped
1 carrot, shredded or julienne
*2 radishes, shredded or julienne
1 green onion, chopped
*1 Roma tomato, diced
2 Tb cilantro leaves, chopped
*1 Tb fresh mint leaves, chopped
*1 14-oz can pink salmon, drained 

1.  Toss together everything except the chopped lettuce and salmon.

2.  To assemble salad, lay a portion of lettuce on the plate.  Top with a quarter of the salmon, then a quarter of the salad toppings.  Repeat to make four plates.  Drizzle all with an equal amount of dressing.

Chips

*8 small pieces of rice paper (6" if you can find them)
vegetable or peanut oil for frying
salt to taste

1.  Heat 1/2" of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Oil is ready when a drop of water pops.

2.  Cut the dry rice paper sheets into wedges.  I scored them with a knife and then folded until it snapped.  Warning, shards might fly off.  Close your eyes or do it into the sink.

3.  Drop pieces one at a time into the oil.  This is where it gets fun.  They fry in literally two seconds:

Remove pieces from the oil with tongs or a spider and drain on paper towels while you work on the rest.  Be quick and pull them as soon as the puffing stops, or you could burn them.  Turn down the heat if they are starting to brown in under five seconds.

4.  Arrange fried rice paper around the salad as garnish, sprinkle lightly with salt, and serve immediately.

Difficulty rating  :)