Prawn and Rice Noodle Salad with Lime and Mint
- Savory
- Asian
- Light
- No cook
A cool no-cook noodle salad: plump prawns, cucumber and carrot, and a sharp lime and fish sauce dressing finished with mint and peanuts.
- Total
- 20 min
- Prep 20
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Zesting · Julienne
Instructions
-
If the cooked rice noodles are cold and clumped, loosen them with your fingers in a large mixing bowl and separate the strands. If they are sticky, add 2 tbsp water and toss gently until they separate.
~3 min
A little water rehydrates the sticky starch on the noodles' surface, letting the strands slide apart without breaking.
-
Cut the cucumber into 1 cm thick half-moons and the carrot into thin matchsticks about 3 mm wide. Pick the mint leaves and tear the larger ones.
~6 min
Julienne Cut the carrot into even 3 mm planks first, then stack and slice into matchsticks so they cook and soften evenly in the dressing.
-
Zest one lime into a small bowl, then squeeze both limes (about 4 tbsp juice). Stir in the fish sauce, salt and black pepper until the salt dissolves.
~3 min
Zesting before juicing captures the lime's aromatic oils, which are concentrated in the peel and lost once the fruit is squeezed.
Zest the lime before juicing it: the zest carries the bright citrus oil, and once the lime is squeezed the zest is hard to remove.
Zesting Zest only the coloured outer peel, stopping before the bitter white pith; a light touch gives fragrant oil without bitterness.
-
Add the prawns, cucumber and carrot to the noodles, pour over the lime dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated.
~4 min
Tossing coats every strand and vegetable with dressing, so the salad tastes seasoned throughout rather than only on top.
If the prawns are frozen, thaw them fully in the fridge and pat them dry before tossing, so the dressing does not turn watery.
-
Roughly chop the peanuts. Scatter the mint and peanuts over the salad and serve right away.
~4 min
