Spring Roll Salad

Fresh flavors of a classic Vietnamese spring roll in one easy bowl

Course Dinner, Lunch

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 418kcal

Author Madeline Tague

Ingredients

4 oz dry vermicelli noodles
16 oz medium shrimp - peeled deveined, tails removed - frozen or fresh
1 ½ cup diced red bell pepper
1 ½ cup diced cucumber
1 ½ cup shredded carrot
1 ½ cup shredded red cabbage
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp sriracha omit if you don’t like spice or increase if you like it spicier
2-3 tbsp water start with 1 tbsp at a time
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Instructions

Cook vermicelli noodles according to package instructions. Remove from pot and rinse under cold water until completely cooled. Set aside to drain colander.
Steam shrimp in a steamer basket. Steam for 6-7 minutes from frozen or 3-4 minutes from thawed. Set aside and allow to cool before roughly chopping into bite sized pieces.
Roughly chop noodles so they are in about 2 inch long pieces and place noodles in a mixing bowl along with the chopped shrimp, bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, green onion and cilantro.
Whisk together lime juice, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha. Slowly mix in 1 tbsp of water at a time until the sauce is a thin, pourable consistency (I used 2 tbsp water)
Pour sauce into the bowl and toss to combine everything. Add the peanuts to the top of the salad and serve at room temperature or place in the fridge for a couple hours to serve chilled.

Notes

Rinse the noodles right after cooking. As soon as the vermicelli noodles are done cooking drain them and rinse immediately under cold water. This stops the cooking and keeps them from clumping together into one big mass.

Pat the shrimp dry before cooking. Dry shrimp sear instead of steam and you get a much better texture and golden color. Use a paper towel to pat each shrimp dry before it goes in the pan.

Thin the dressing as needed. Peanut dressing can be thick depending on the brand of peanut butter. Add water one tablespoon at a time and whisk until the dressing is smooth and pourable.

Dress right before serving. This salad is best tossed with the dressing just before eating. The noodles and vegetables will absorb the dressing quickly. If meal prepping, store the dressing separately and toss right before serving.

Nutrition