Serious Salads: Vietnamese Shrimp and Quinoa Salad Recipe

By
Jennifer Segal
Jennifer Segal is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Jennifer Segal

Jennifer Segal is the chef and photographer behind Once Upon a Chef and the author of two cookbooks: Once Upon a Chef and Once Upon A Chef: Weeknight/Weekend.

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Updated Aug. 30, 2018
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This unconventional shrimp and quinoa salad with Vietnamese flavorings is nutritious and light. Also, wonderfully satisfying.

You can also make it without the shrimp; simply cut back on the dressing a bit.

Recipe inspired by Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers

Recipe Details

Serious Salads: Vietnamese Shrimp and Quinoa Salad Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 45 mins
Serves 2 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more if desired

For the Salad:

  • 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or pre-washed)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into thin bite-sized strips

  • 1 carrot, peeled and shredded

  • 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

  • 2 scallions, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Add quinoa, salt and 1-2/3 cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool.

  2. In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the lime juice, Asian fish sauce, vegetable oil, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add shrimp to the dressing and let marinate until ready to assemble the salad.

  3. Once quinoa is cool, add red bell pepper, carrot, cucumber and scallions to the bowl. Right before serving, add the dressing, shrimp and cilantro and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, sugar or crushed red pepper flakes if necessary. Serve cold.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
454 Calories
18g Fat
43g Carbs
32g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 454
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 239mg 80%
Sodium 2343mg 102%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 140mg 698%
Calcium 171mg 13%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 799mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)