One of my favourite summer salads! This Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Shrimp/Prawns is everything you know and love about Vietnamese food. Fresh, healthy, great textures and full of flavour!
A great, fresh Vietnamese noodle recipe
Winter in Sydney swings from being warm enough to run around in shorts and play with your dog at the beach, and cold enough to wear ugg boots and maybe, just maybe, turn on the heater.
So the food I make ranges from hearty winter stews to fresh summer salads. I grill outdoors all year round, I make soups in summer and salads in winter.
I love it! It keeps me on my toes! 🙂
I actually made this because my mother asked me for a recipe. She rarely does, normally it’s the other way round. “Mum, I need your Teriyaki recipe! I want to share it on my blog!” “Mum, I really want to include a karaage chicken in my Wings cookbook. Can you create one for me? Baked though, not fried. But it has to taste fried!”
So when she asked me for my Vietnamese noodle salad recipe, I hopped right to it. After all, even when you’re 30-something, you still do as you’re told, right?
I have a chicken version but she was specifically after a prawn (shrimp) version so that’s the one I’m sharing with you today. If you prefer to use chicken, feel free to do so.
This salad is a mash up of classic Vietnamese salads like Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Cabbage) and Vietnamese Noodle Bowls (seriously, if you haven’t tried this before, it’s a must!). I use a salad dressing recipe by Bill Granger who is a great Australian chef. It’s the one he uses for his Vietnamese Chicken Salad which is on the menu of one of his restaurants.
I really like serving up salads like this laid out with each of the components separately so people can help themselves and with the dressing on the side. But you can toss it all together if you want. Might be safer if you have a shrimp-pig at the table. 😉
– Nagi
Get your Vietnamese fix!
- Bun Cha – Vietnamese Meatballs (Noodle Bowl)
- Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls
- Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!
- Vietnamese Caramel Pork – another iconic Vietnamese food! Also see the Chicken version.
- Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls – the super quick version of the above
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Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp (Prawn) Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Garlic Shrimp (Prawns)
- 12 - 15 medium shrimp (prawns), shelled and deveined (about 5 - 7 oz / 150 - 200g, excluding shells)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Dressing
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 large garlic clove , very finely chopped
- 1 tsp very finely chopped red chili , adjust to taste (I use birds eye which is spicy)
Salad
- 2.5 oz / 75g dried rice vermicelli noodles (Note 1)
- 3 cups iceberg lettuce , shredded
- 1 cup carrot , cut into fine matchsticks
- 1 1/2 cups cucumber , cut into matchsticks
- 1 1/2 cups beansprouts
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves , lightly packed
- 1/4 cup mint leaves (ordinary or Vietnamese), lightly packed
Instructions
- Combine the Garlic Shrimp ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Combine the Dressing ingredients in a small jar, give it a shake then set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat a skillet / fry pan over high heat. Add the shrimp, scraping in the olive oil and garlic from the sides of the bowl. Cook for 2 minutes, or until browned and the shrimp is just cooked through. (Note 2)
- Remove the prawns from the skillet onto a plate.
- Prepare the vermicelli noodles according to the packet directions. I like to just soak them in hot tap water for a few minutes, this ensures they don't overcook. Then drain the noodles.
- Arrange the noodles and remaining Salad ingredients on a large plate (like the photo) or toss together in a bowl. Top with prawns (warm or at room temperature). Drizzle over the Dressing (or toss through), or you can serve the Dressing on the side.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Ohh, I love this dish, Nagi. Wonderful shrimp with so many flavours and textures – and so colourful! This is a perfect summer lunch with the girls on the back deck with some white wine. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Thanks Robyn! I saw your email too, I’ll respond to it soon! (Swooning over the overhead pic!)
Yum! So gorgeous, Nagi. We love rice vermicelli noodles 🙂 I’ve been thinking about putting them in a summer salad, but haven’t gotten around to it– I’ll have to start with your recipe!
Of course I still do what my mom asks, even though I am also 30 something! Mom’s are pretty special 🙂
Ha! Glad I’m not the only one still getting bossed around by her mum!! 🙂
Never tried Vietnamese food before but this makes me want to try it now! 🙂
Oooh you must! Vietnamese food is wonderful! It’s so fresh and zingy, I adore it! 🙂
LOVE this dish and your mom sounds like she’d be great to have in the kitchen!
Vermicilli noodles are great, I’m happy just eating straight out of the bowl… in fact, I often steal a few bites before I actually add them to a dish 😉 I love all of the fresh veggies and the dressing is awesome! I use something similar as a dipping sauce with sesame crusted tofu and it really ties the dish together nicely. Definitely got to make this one! 🙂
I pick the noodles up, tilt my head back and lower them into my mouth. You? 😉
That’s the only way!
Such a great salad for summer. I love the chili sauce part.
Thanks so much Elaine! 🙂 The dressing is fabulous, LOVE the chili in it!
This is just beautiful, Nagi! And the dressing sounds perfect.
Your mum sounds like a great little ‘blog recipe assistant’ to have around. Can I borrow her some time? 😉
Oh, and please don’t remind us of your amazing winter. Sooo envious that your winter is borderline better than our summer! (although I must admit it’s been sweltering here the last few days … not so much fun without air con!)
But Helen, you’ll be back here before you know it so you can enjoy it again! So don’t be jealous! 🙂
I am making this salad this weekend!!! Completely fab, Nagi!! You talking about Sydney weather cracked me up – I relate. Bend, Oregon sometimes has 60 degree swings in a 24 hour period!!
Really?? I had no idea! I thought the climate in that area of the states was pretty consistent to the seasons! I know it’s HOT over there at the moment so YES this is the kind of thing I think is perfect for you guys!!! 🙂
This post is gorgeous – in terms of color, flavor and light!!
Winter in Buenos Aires is kinda like that in Sydney too – pretty extreme! So I understand what you mean!
Hi Felicia! Thanks so much for your lovely comment. Oooh, I didn’t even think Buenos Aires would know what cold is!! Do you ever have to wear a jumper??! I don’t know why I have it in my mind that it’s mild/hot all year around!!
Wow, from the looks of it this is a healthy, fresh, tasty and awesome salad. Your mom made the perfect choice! 5 stars for this, Nagi 🙂
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Hi Julie, thanks so much! Hope you guys are having a great week! N x
This sounds so delicious and fresh. No wonder your Mom wanted the recipe! 🙂
Thanks so much Krista!! Fresh and delicious is right 🙂 And you know I’m not a salad girl!! N x
Oh doesn’t this look good. Today is my first day of having real food in what seems forever. If I have to take one more bite of take away (John’s idea of cooking) I’ll scream. I want this dish right now! 🙂 I did cook breakfast and I ate it too!
OH YAY! I am so happy seeing your smiling face on the blogosphere again! I was getting so worried when you didn’t reply to my email. Welcome back Maureen! Saw a new post from you too, looking forward to reading it! N x
Safer to toss it together before I come over..Just being honest, those juicy shrimps, how I drool for you !!
Ha!! You absolutely crack me up!! 🙂
Oh, this makes me yearn for Aussie prawns – Nagi – I know I can make it with chicken – but prawns are one of the foods I miss the most, even though we didn’t eat them that often they were always fabulous. Oh, well can’t have everything:-) Will just have to make this with our lovely organic chicken instead.
Thank you for your kind words again today – Nagi. Have a lovely Thursday, the sun is shining here and there is only a bit of a nip in the air from the snow on the ranges!
I didn’t realise prawns were hard to come by in NZ! Who would have thought. Tiny island, surrounded by sea!! 🙂
Hi Nagi! YES, grilling in the snow, wearing work boots and a Carhart jacket with the hood up! One Thanksgiving we deep fried a turkey (outside, obviously) and the wind and snow was so bad it took three of us to block the wind so that the fire wouldn’t go out! But, damn that was a good bird! I was born and raised in that stuff and lived there for fifty years until I decided I didn’t want to be cold anymore! I am no wimp! 🙂
I am sitting here, grinning like a fool at the vision you painted in my mind!! I am so impressed. I once erected a wind barrier using an outdoor table just so I could BBQ – but that doesn’t compare to deep frying turkey in the wind and snow!!! Hats off to you Dorothy! 🙂
Hi Nagi! We have a large gas grill, a charcoal grill (that I bought in 1977 and it is still very functional), two smokers, a turkey fryer and fish fryer, all outside. The turkey fryer doubles as a canner in the summer – it is much easier and more practical to can outside when it’s hot – we wash and prep the produce outside also. Oh, l almost forgot, we have a tripod which I hang a cast iron Dutch oven to cook over a campfire! I have baked bread and lasagna on the grill – I can cook just about anywhere in any weather! I guess I’m a survivalist with tools! 🙂
The tripod is just about the coolest thing I’ve ever heard of. You rock Dorothy!! 🙂
Your weather in Sydney sounds a lot like our winter weather in New Mexico! This dish looks amazing!
Oh, I didn’t know!! I’ve been to other parts in the US where the seasons are really out of whack! Like San Fran – in winter it was like summer, in summer it’s like winter!! 🙂
Hi Nagi! I’m with you on grilling all year round, even when we lived in MI where we regularly got two to three feet of snow! And, I would be happy to be the shrimp-pig at your house! 🙂
You grill in the SNOW?? No! You don’t!!! Surely not? Standing over the BBQ in thick parkers??
Looks and sounds delightful, I am a big shrimp lover and the salad dressing is right up my alley! BTW, totally digging the twisted noodles, most artful. 🙂
Thanks Kevin!! Vermicelli noodles were made for having fun when it comes to styling!! 🙂
Haha – sounds like you are onto me, Nagi! I am a shrimp pig for sure! Specially when they look like these do!!! 🙂 I love the sound of your dressing – I Googled fish sauce (I’ve never used it myself) and saw that it’s made with anchovies, salt and water – I bet it tastes wonderful with the chili and sugar!
I bake indoors all year round – but there’s no way I’ll be getting out to grill in temps less than 60 F!
Noooo….you? A shrimp pig? Never would have guessed that! He he!! 🙂
Nagi really love this post. I love the story behind it and it just looks so fresh and gorgeous! Hubs would be ALL about this!!
Thanks Mila!! 🙂 Fresh is right!! I love how fresh this is, and yet I don’t feel like I’m forcing myself to eat healthy!! 🙂
You are making me drool, Naggi! This is childhood and comfort on a plate for me. I’d just love to dig into this right now.
Aw, thanks Thao!! 🙂