Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad recipe, courtesy of www.pieforbreakfast.org
When my bestie, Molly Kincaid, told me she was thinking of starting a cooking blog, I was all over her to do it. I can't say enough good things about her cooking -- it's fresh, fun, and she does it with great joy. (When Nekos and I got engaged in 2005, Molly threw us a candlelit backyard engagement party and cooked up a Moroccan-themed feast that I'll never forget.) Add to that recipe her photographer boyfriend, Rocky Yosek, and you have the perfect cooking blog -- the recently launched pieforbreakfast.org. Together they live in Tucson, AZ, where she goes to law school and he works for the nonprofit Trees for Tucson. Please check out their website and add it to your blogroll; not only are the recipes inspiring but the photos are beautiful and colorful. I asked her to contribute a recipe to Black & White & Loved All Over and she cooked up this gorgeous Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad. Enjoy!
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When I was making the first iteration of this salad, I thought to myself, “I think this is going to be my dream salad!” I’m prone to hyperbole in the kitchen, but this dish did not let me down. Modeled off of a Thai chicken salad recipe I found in Bon Appétit, only with some leftover beef I had on hand, it was just the right amount of crunchy, salty, sweet and spicy – and ridiculously healthy, which I personally craved after the heavy-cream-and-wine-laden holidays.
I’ve made a lot of changes to the original recipe, and you can play around with it to make it fulfill your own salad dreams. For example, I had this weird veggie called komatsuna from our CSA share, but it’s a lot like bok choy, so I used it. Although there’s a LOT of chopping here, I like that you leave the greens mostly raw, because it’s so refreshing and out of the ordinary. The first time I made it without the noodles, just as a salad, which is an option. But the noodles are great for sopping up all the yummy dressing, and to add a little warmth to the dish. Also, buckwheat noodles have many health benefits.
Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad
Marinade:
Juice of one lemon
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup cilantro
scant 1/8 tsp ground bird’s eye chili (you can use fresh chilies, sliced thinly into rounds, I just couldn’t find them! If you can’t find either, use fresh jalapenos or serranos)
¼ tsp chopped fresh ginger
1/8 cup diced cilantro
¼ tsp salt
Dressing:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup fish sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/8 tsp ground bird’s eye chili
¼ tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 lb raw shrimp, shells and tails removed
1 cup fresh green beans
2 cups chopped bok choy or komatsuna, if you happen to have it
1 red bell pepper, in thin slices
1 cup radish or daikon, grated (or carrot, if you don’t like radish – but radish/daikon adds more kick)
1 cup any cabbage variety, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup diced cilantro
¼ cup crushed salted cashews
1 package buckwheat soba noodles, cooked according to package
Combine all ingredients of the marinade over shrimp and refrigerate for an hour. Meanwhile make the dressing and start chopping. For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a bowl until sugar has dissolved. Chop all vegetables (except beans) and combine in a big bowl. Cook soba noodles.
Steam green beans until crisp tender. Heat a skillet and cook shrimp, discarding excess marinade. Cook about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through. Combine veggies, shrimp, and beans, pour dressing over, and toss to combine. Top soba noodles with the salad and garnish with cashews and more cilantro if you like.
