Thai Prawn Salad is bursting with mouth-watering Thai flavours. A beautiful light, low-carb, low-cal lunch or no-fuss dinner that is ideal for hot summer days as there is no cooking involved!
Inspired by Pla Goong, which is a prawn salad from central Thailand that has a beautiful sweet-spicy-four flavour profile
Our version combines lemony-flavoured coriander(cilantro) leaves with cool cucumber, refreshing mint, sweet mini Roma tomatoes and beautiful Australian prawns (shrimp in the US) and leaves out the hot chillies to keep it refreshing and the sugar to keep it low-cal. dfece1
If you are a prawn lover like me, why not try some more of our salads, like our Prawn Avocado Salad or our Cajun Shrimp Salad?
Table of contents
You Will Need...
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Prawns/Shrimp - we have used freshly cooked tiger prawns, but you may also use frozen prawns, defrost them completely and squeeze any excess water out of them. You may also use cleaned raw prawns and blanch them for 1-2 minutes, depending on their size.
- Mini Roma Tomatoes - for their sweetness, if you cannot find mini Roma tomatoes, you may use any mini/cherry tomatoes you can find. Or even diced-up regular tomatoes would work.
- Lebanese/Persian Cucumber - or any seedless variety such as English, Telegraph or Kirby would be great. At a pinch, remove the seeds from any old cucumber, and you are also good👍.
- Fresh Herbs - Our Asian Prawn Salad is chock full of fresh herbs - mint, basil, and coriander. If you are not a fan of coriander, you may replace it with parsley or just more of the other herbs.
- Vinaigrette - is full of gorgeous umami flavour, but if you are looking for a shortcut, then simply combine ¼ cup of lime juice, four tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of sesame oil. But you will miss out on the wonderful flavour of the aromatic lime leaves and the salty, sweet, umami taste of the fish sauce.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds - for nutty flavour and crunch, you may leave them out if you prefer. Try some toasted crushed peanuts or crispy fried onions instead.
Variations
- Add Noodles - such as rice or glass noodles, to make it stretch out to be more budget-friendly (double the dressing if you do this).
- Swap the Prawns - for different seafood, such as a flaked, firm-fleshed fish such as cod, snapper or halibut, or even try some salmon, chopped lobster, crab meat or scallops.
- Add Chilli - for some spicy heat, remove the seeds and either dice or cut into small rounds.
- Completely Change the Protein - try shredded chicken, cooked beef strips or some tofu for a vegan/vegetarian option.
- Make it Warm - sauté some raw prawns in some oil and chopped garlic for a couple of minutes, and then add at the last minute to your prepared salad.
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How to Make It (step-by-step)
Step 1 - Prepare the Prawns
Peel and devein your cooked prawns, rinse them in a colander under cold running water and squeeze out any excess water.
Cut them into quarters and place them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the salad.
💡 TIP: Line your board with baking paper to prevent it from absorbing the fishy odours.
Step 2 - Prepare the Salad Ingredients
Wash the mini Roma tomatoes, pat them dry with a towel, and cut them in half.
Wash the cucumber, trim the ends, cut it in half, remove the seeds using a teaspoon or melon baller, and cut it into small dice.
Strip the basil and mint leaves from the stems, and cut off the coriander stalks.
Wash all the herbs, and either pat or spin dry in a salad spinner to remove excess water and roughly chop.
Step 3 - Shake up Vinaigrette
Place all dressing ingredients in a glass jar and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Shake well to emulsify, taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.
Step 4 - Assemble the Asian Prawn Salad
Take the prawns out of the fridge, add them to a large mixing bowl with the prepared salad ingredients, pour over the dressing and mix well to combine.
Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preference.
Arrange in a bowl, and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds to garnish.
Keep chilled in the fridge until you are ready to serve!
People Also Ask...
As with most seafood, your prawns are best eaten soon after you buy them. If you keep them very well refrigerated, then they should keep for 2-3 days at the most.
Remove the head and legs, then peel off the shell. Our how-to-peel and devein prawn guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.
Can I make it ahead?
Thai prawn salad can be made up to an hour ahead; make sure you keep it covered in a cold part of your fridge and give it a good toss just before serving.
Keep it covered in a cold part of your fridge for two days, it tastes even better the next day as the prawns have absorbed all the delicious vinaigrette.
A great healthy low calorie (170kcals) dinner salad suitable for most eating styles, it is dairy-free and nut free. Use a gluten-free soy sauce to keep it gluten-free.
Great for keto/low-carb eaters (7 grams of net carbs); for Paleo and Whole30, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
Serving Suggestions
Our Thai Prawn Salad can be served at your next barbecue as a meat-free option or as part of a seafood dinner.
We enjoyed it as a light lunch served with some soy sauce noodles, or it is equally as good with some jasmine or brown rice.
As part of a Thai banquet along with Thai green curry, pad Thai noodles, Thai larb or Thai chicken satay.
You can also transform it into an appetizer by chopping the ingredients into small dice. Then serve either in small lettuce cups or in wonton cups.
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Recipe Card
Equipment
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
- 500 grams prawns, cooked (approximately 17.64 ounces)
- punnet mini Roma tomatoes (approximately 250 grams / 8.82 ounces)
- 1 medium Lebanese cucumber (approximately 120 grams / 4.23 ounces)
- 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tbsps light soy sauce
- 2 tbsps fish sauce
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (cut into chiffonade1)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)
Instructions
- Peel and devein your cooked prawns, then cut into quarters. Rinse well in a colander under cold running water.
- Add all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified, pour over the prawns and mix well until the prawns are well coated with the dressing. Place in the refrigerator while you are preparing the rest of the salad.
- Wash the mini Roma tomatoes, pat dry with a towel then cut in half, transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Wash the cucumber, trim the ends, cut in half then remove the seeds using a teaspoon or melon baller, transfer to your mixing bowl.
- Wash all the herbs, spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water then chop roughly and add to your mixing bowl.
- Take the prawns out of the fridge and add to your mixing bowl and toss until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
- Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the toasted sesame seeds on top to garnish and serve.
Video
Notes
- Chiffonade is a slicing technique where leafy green vegetables and herbs such as spinach, basil, sorrel, etc. are cut into long, thin strips. To do this stack the leaves on top of each other, gently roll them into a cigar, and then use a sharp knife to slice them into thin ribbons.
Maria says
Such a tasty keto friendly salad! Yum!
Anastasia says
Thank you ☺️