Crispy California Roll Tacos

These crispy California Roll Tacos are everything I love about Taco Tuesdays. They take a little more time than most Taco Tuesdays you may have prepared, but I am betting that the reaction you get from your family will make up for it. In our house these didn’t even make it to the dinner table. About 10 seconds after I said I was done taking photos, two of three tacos in this picture were already gone. Crispy wonton shells are freshly fried, then lined with a square piece of nori, some brown rice, a crab [ok fine, krab] mayo mixture, finely diced cucumber and some sesame seeds. About half of the tacos were covered with some spicy mayo as well. We served them with a side of dipping sauce. The soy sauce and wasabi mixture was in a bowl with a small spoon that was used to drizzle on top of the tacos instead of dunking them in.

Let’s start with making our mold for the shells. You are going to need a taco shell for this. Take about an 8 inch piece of non heavy-duty foil [heavy duty will be harder to push into the shell and will likely break it], and push it gently into the taco shell until you’ve gotten a pretty good shape of the interior of the shell.When you pull the foil out, give it a once over and check for really sharp points. Push them down to create a smoother surface since a wonton skin may be pierced by sharp points.

Use circular wonton skins, or just trim some square ones if those are easier to find. I had these square ones on hand so I trimmed them. I did fry the scraps for a delicious pre-meal snack or you can top salads with them if you have the will power to not eat them immediately.

Now drape the wonton on the bottom of the taco shell to shape it into a little taco. Hold it in place with a pair of tongs. Make sure you have your oil set to about 350 degrees. These shells will cook in a matter of seconds, so keep a good eye on them. Lower the tongs into the oil. DON’T LET GO!

Keep a grip on it, but a gentle one so you aren’t tearing the wonton. In about ten seconds, lift it out, and with a fork pull the wonton off the foil and back into the oil. Remove with the tongs gently. Don’t do this with your fingers as you may very well burn your fingers!

Set your shells aside.

Cut your nori sheets into nine equal pieces and put one square into each shell. Put about a tablespoon of brown rice inside. I flavored our normal Perfect Brown Rice, Every Time with a little spoonful of rice vinegar to mimic sushi rice. Trust me, it is just enough to do the trick, don’t bother going through the effort of making sushi rice for just this recipe. Top with a heaping tablespoon of our california roll mixture, some finely diced cucumber and some sesame seeds. The nori, which makes the flavor of the California Roll really authentic actually serves a second purpose. It keeps the shell from getting soggy! You can go ahead and make 2 dozen of these and the first and last ones will be equally fresh!

Lastly, my husband and I topped ours with some spicy mayo. We have spicy mayo on standby in our house. The last time we finished a Sriracha bottle, we put about 3/4 of a bottle’s worth of mayo in a bowl and mixed with Sriracha to taste. For us, this is a lot of Sriracha. Mix well and put in the bottle. We use this spicy mayo on sandwiches, eggs, just about anything we have an excuse to use it on.