Vietnamese Inspiration
One of my favorite cuisines has to be Vietnamese. I’ve always appreciated how much depth there is in Vietnamese food. It’s always a combination of umami, sweet, savory, tangy and sometimes spicy, which is everything I love. I also like how there’s always a balance of hot foods with fresh and light elements. For example, egg rolls are always served with a nước chấm and fresh romaine. Pho is commonly served with beansprouts, basil, and lime. Having these fresh and bright elements really compliment the flavors of the dish and add so much depth. I was feeling really inspired by these flavors and thought they would be perfect for a summer salad. This Vietnamese Shrimp Salad almost reminds me of a deconstructed shrimp summer roll. We have poached shrimp, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, red onion, mint, and cilantro tossed in a nước chấm inspired sauce. There’s such a variety of textures and the nước chấm inspired dressing adds the perfect sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor.
Dress It Up
This Vietnamese Shrimp Salad is honestly so easy to make. We’re using a lot of fresh ingredients for this recipe, so the only cooking we have to do is poach the shrimp. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Add in the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until fully cooked. Remove the shrimp from the hot water and place it into a bowl of ice water to cool for a few minutes. Drain the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
Add the hot water into a medium sized bowl. Pour in the granulated sugar and mix until dissolved. Then mix in the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, toasted sesame seeds, garlic, lemongrass, and Thai chili.
Add the poached shrimp, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and mint into a large bowl. Pour in ¾ of the prepared dressing and gently toss the ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add more dressing if desired.
Heavy On Flavor
This Vietnamese Shrimp Salad is one of my favorite side dishes to make for the summer. You can easily make it ahead of time and it’s a fun way to incorporate an unconventional salad into the spread. While it tastes amazing as is, I love that you can also serve this over a bed of rice or cold noodles to make it a full meal. The shrimp is so tender and juicy, the avocado adds a touch of creaminess, the tomatoes are juicy, and the cucumbers are crisp. Then the addition of cilantro and mint adds another dimension of freshness. I also absolutely love the nước chấm inspired sauce. It’s sweet, umami, tangy, and a little spicy. It’s the perfect dressing that adds a lot of flavor but isn’t too heavy. This is a must try recipe for the summer if you’re looking to make easy and fresh side dishes for the summer!
Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 4 tbsp Hot Water
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- Juice From 1 lime
- ½ tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Lemongrass
- 1 Thai Chili (finely chopped)
For the Salad:
- ¾ lb Large Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 cup ½ inch diced English Cucumber
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
- 1 Avocado (½ inch dice)
- ½ cup Thinly Sliced Red onion
- ¼ cup Cilantro Leaves
- ¼ cup Mint Leaves (roughly torn)
Instructions
For the Dressing:
- Add the hot water into a medium sized bowl. Pour in the granulated sugar and mix until dissolved. Then mix in the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, toasted sesame seeds, garlic, lemongrass, and thai chili.
For the Salad:
- Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Add in the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until fully cooked. Remove the shrimp from the hot water and place it into a bowl of ice water to cool for a few minutes. Drain the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
- Add the poached shrimp, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and mint into a large bowl. Pour in ¾ of the prepared dressing and gently toss the ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add more dressing if desired. Enjoy!
