Serves 2–4

This healthy appetizer is the perfect finger food and is a great introduction to Thai cuisine: There are no scary ingredients, it isn×t tongue-numbingly hot, and yet it is definitely not Western in style or flavor.

Crab Spring Rolls

1 pound crabmeat, picked over to remove any shells, and shredded

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

¼–½ teaspoon grated lime peel

15 spring roll or egg roll wrappers

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Canola oil for deep frying

15 small, tender Boston lettuce leaves

Mint leaves

Parsley leaves

  1. In a small bowl, mix the crabmeat with the mayonnaise and lime peel.
  2. Place 1 tablespoon of the crabmeat mixture in the center of 1 spring roll wrapper. Fold a pointed end of the wrapper over the crabmeat, then fold the opposite point over the top of the folded point. Brush a bit of the egg yolk over the top of the exposed wrapper, then fold the bottom point over the crabmeat and roll to form a tight packet; set aside. Repeat with the remaining crabmeat and wrappers.
  3. Heat the oil to 365 degrees in a skillet or deep fryer. Deep-fry the rolls 3 to 4 at a time for 2 minutes or so, until they are a golden brown; drain on paper towels.
  4. To serve, wrap each spring roll in a wrapper with a single piece of lettuce, and a sprinkling of mint and parsley. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.