Salad
Spicy Spinach Vietnamese Shrimp Noodle Salad
Active Time: 10 minutes • Total Time: 10 minutes
Yields: 4 Servings











Ingredients
- SHRIMP:
- 1 pound shrimp
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- VINAIGRETTE:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 fresh red fresno chili, minced
- 2 organic garlic
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, minced
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- NOODLES:
- 6 ounces rice stick noodles (use your favorite GF brand)
- SALAD:
- 1 package Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
- 1 fresh red fresno chili, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, whole or chopped
As a nod to the Pacific Rim culinary influences in her home town of Seattle, blogger Heather Christo packs Vietnamese noodle bowl deliciousness into a beautiful, portable salad. Genius! By adding lots of greens and fresh veggies to traditional noodle bowl components, the resulting salad is a light and satisfying meal you can enjoy anywhere, anytime as you seize the day…
Combine the shrimp, lime juice and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside while you make the vinaigrette.
For the Vinaigrette: In a small pan, combine the sugar and the rice vinegar and bring to a simmer, cooking about 1-2 minutes over low heat until the sugar dissolves. While that is happening combine the chili, garlic and peanuts in a small bowl. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, vegetable oil and then the hot sugar-vinegar mixture to the bowl. Set aside.
For the Shrimp: In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, a few at a time and cook until golden around the edges and just opaque in the center, about 2 minutes total. Set aside and continue to cook all of the shrimp.
For the Noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the rice sticks. Turn the heat to low and let the noodles sit in the hot water for about 1-2 minutes or until they are loose and all the way opaque. Drain them in a colander and rinse with cold water until they are all the way cool. Combine them in a large bowl with half of the vinaigrette and let them sit.
For the Salad: Combine all of the salad ingredients and dress with the remaining vinaigrette. Gently toss everything together and season to taste with kosher salt if desired.
To serve: Plate this with the noodles on the bottom of the platter and then topped with the salad and shrimp. Garnish with chopped peanuts and chive blossoms.
TO GO option: In a large re-sealable jar, put noodles on the bottom, then a layer of shrimp, and then the salad on the top. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.