Vietnamese Rice Salad with Shrimp
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A Vietnamese-style salad with short grain rice, shrimp and vegetables in a sweet-and-sour dressing. This is one of my favorite easy healthy recipes!
This tasty shrimp salad is my new go-to lunch or light meal. It’s perfect for any time you crave a quick, healthful meal on the go.
And it’s so simple to put together — as in literally just minutes. This recipe combines sticky white or brown rice, crunchy raw vegetables and crushed roasted peanuts in a sweet-and-sour Vietnamese salad dressing with lime and fish sauce.
If you’re in the habit of making rice frequently, go ahead and try this salad with homemade cooked short grain rice.
Vietnamese salad Ingredients
I lovvvve the flavors and ingredients in Southeast Asian food, especially Vietnamese recipes that can be made simply, with lots of fresh ingredients.
Think vibrantly colored, crunchy vegetables and aromatic herbs, all sauced in a sweet-sour-salty dressing.
That’s a combo that naturally gets your mouth watering 🙂
Ingredients to make the salad:
- Short grain white or brown ricer (1 1/4 cups cooked)
- Cooked, peeled shrimp (I use thawed frozen cooked shrimp)
- Carrots
- Persian or mini cucumber
- Green onion
- Fresh cilantro and/or mint
- Roasted peanut oil
- Fresh lime juice
- Granulated sugar
- Fish sauce
- Crushed red chili pepper
- Roasted unsalted peanuts
Meal prep tips
- This salad can be made assembled with the dressing ahead of time to pack for lunch. It will keep up to 1 day refrigerated, although I think it tastes best at room temperature.
- You can also prep the ingredients and dressing 2-3 days ahead.
- Keep them in separate covered containers in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
More Asian-Inspired one-dish meals
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Vietnamese Shrimp and Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup cooked short grain rice
- 4 ounces cooked and peeled shrimp
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1 Persian cucumber, sliced into half-moons
- 1 green onion, white and light green sections thinly sliced diagonally
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro or mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili
- 2 tablespoons crushed roasted unsalted peanuts
Instructions
- Heat the package of rice on high in a microwave for 1 minute according to package directions, or heat homemade cooked rice until warm. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp, carrot, cucumber, green onion and cilantro
to the bowl. Add the peanut oil and gently toss the salad until combined. - In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and chili until the sugar is dissolved. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the rice salad.
- Sprinkle the salad with the peanuts and serve, with additional sauce on the side.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- If you have concerns about peanut sensitivities, substitute cashews or almonds or omit the nuts entirely.
Nutrition
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.