Thai-Inspired Summer Salad

Shanthi Appelo, MS, RD

| 1 min read

This crispy and fresh salad is served with a flavor-bursting dressing of herbs, lime, chili and more. A key component of the dressing is fish sauce, a staple ingredient in Thai cuisine that bring umami and depth to sauces and dressings. Ideally, the dressing ingredients are pounded in a mortar, but this recipe features a shortcut version that can be made in just five minutes. The pieces of minced garlic, dehydrated onions and sambal oelek add a nice texture and pop of flavor in each bite of salad, shrimp and noodles.

Total Time:

25 minutes

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cooking Difficulty:

Easy

Serving Amount
Ingredients

  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, thickly shredded

  • 1⁄2 white onion, thinly sliced

  • 1⁄2 English cucumber, sliced into half-moons

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

  • 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

  • 1 head bell pepper, cut into thin strips

  • 11⁄2 cups rice noodles

  • 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked

  • 2 large limes, juiced

  • 3 Tbsp. fish sauce

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 2 tsp. Thai seasoning paste

  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

  • 1 Tbsp. sambal oelek (garlic chili sauce) can substitute for 1 red chili, seeds removed and thinly sliced

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

  • 1 tsp. dried minced onions

Instructions
  • Step 1

    Heat water and soften rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water and get as dry as possible.

  • Step 2

    In a large bowl, add veggies, cilantro and shrimp. Trim the rice noodles then swirl into the salad.

  • Step 3

    For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well-combined. Leftover dressing can be stored in fridge for about 3 days.

  • Step 4

    To serve, portion salad onto plate. Spoon the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!

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