Shrimp and Kale Asian Salad
A fresh and cool flavorful salad featuring crunchy kale and spicy ginger rice noodles. Everything can be made ahead and combined just before serving for an easy summer evening meal.
You can use either rice noodle vermicelli or mung bean vermicelli. If you are watching carbs - 1 cup of mung bean vermicelli has 181 grams of carbs compared to rice vermicelli that has just about 100 grams. For strict carb counters - this salad is great without the noodles and is just as satisfying.
Beyond the fact that we have an abundance of kale in the potager this summer, I love the crunchy texture of the kale as a base for the dish. It goes well up against the soft texture of the noodles.
Part 1 - Mise-en-place
Gather the basic ingredients:
Curly kale leaves
Mixed greens
1 package rice or mung bean vermicelli
Cooked chilled shrimp
Fresh coriander
Fresh basil leaves
Lime juice
Sesame seeds
For the dressing:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
¾ cup olive oil
⅓ cup rice vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup water
Part 2 - Method
I always start with the dressing that can be made a few days before and then kept in the fridge. It’s an all-purpose dressing that can also be used to marinade chicken or fish and works great on coleslaw too!
In a glass jar, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Next prep your rice noodles according the instructions on the package.
Wash greens and chop kale. To soften the leaves, wrap the kale in a kitchen towel and ‘massage’ to dry. The kale with wilt slightly and absorb the dressing better.
Part 3 - Bringing it all together
Add several tablespoons of the dressing to the prepared noodles and toss to coat.
Make a layer of greens as a base and top with the dressed noodles before adding the cooked shrimp.
Top with fresh basil, coriander and sesame seeds … and add a squeeze of lime juice just before serving.
TIPS:
I almost always keep uncooked frozen shrimp (peeled and de-veined is easiest) in the freezer, especially in the summer. You can cook it quickly without even thawing it first. For this recipe, I quickly sauteed it with garlic, dried chives and a little sesame oil, but plain shrimp works just as well and will absorb the flavors of the dressing.
About the Author
Writer, photographer & foodie living on a farm in Normandy called Rabbit Hill, I also run a French lifestyle online pop-up shop and offer French foodie workshops.
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