Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Vegetables

Spicy, plump shrimp with soft rice noodles, peppers, cucumbers, and cilantro in lime butter sauce makes an incredibly tasty, warm, and gluten-free Thai salad.

This recipe, inspired by Around the World in 120 Salads cookbook, is my first time cooking with rice noodles. I've tried my share of gluten-free pasta all of which I found to taste either like glue or cardboard, but not so much the rice noodles.

Their white or transparent color is deceiving - their taste and texture are very similar to the traditional noodles. I'm sold!

📃 Why it Works

Pasta salads are great for picnics, potlucks, or light family dinners but when it comes to exclusive dinner parties and entertaining guests, this Thai noodle salad with spicy shrimp takes the cake!

It's ridiculously delicious and satisfying but best of all, quick and easy to make!

Noodles or Pasta?

Pasta is the generic term for foods made from an unleavened dough of flour and water, and sometimes egg. In Italian cuisine, the kingdom of noodles, pasta is a type of noodle or any of the dishes made with it.

There's an indication of noodles being found in ancient Greece, as well as a legend of Marco Polo importing pasta from China. So you see how this was a natural choice for us!

As the name suggests, rice noodles are made with rice flour and water (sometimes tapioca and cornstarch are added) and are naturally gluten-free. Rice noodles are the most common in Thai cuisine and some other parts of Asia.

🔪 Instructions

It only takes a few simple steps and about 20 minutes to get this delightful Thai salad from your kitchen to the table:

1. Clean and marinate the shrimp in lime juice for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Slice the red bell pepper and cucumber; add cilantro and set aside. Sauté the ginger, garlic, and chile in butter and oil. Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Toss together the noodles, vegetables, and shrimp and serve!

• If there are visible black veins down the back of the shrimp, clean them out using a sharp knife.
• Make a shallow cut down their outer curves and pull them out.
• Instead of chile, you can use ½ teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes.
• Replace butter with olive oil for an even healthier option.
• To slice the cucumber into ribbons: trim the ends and use a vegetable Y peeler (see in Products Used below) to carefully slice the cucumber lengthwise into long, thin ribbons.

🍴 Equipment Needed

• Cast Iron Skille - An essential cooking tool, cast iron skillet distributes heat uniformly throughout the base and sidewalls for even cooking. Best to have several sizes as once you use it, you’ll fall in love with it!
• Collapsible Colander - I have more colanders than any cook would need, all in a search for the perfect one. I have little ones, big ones, plastic, metal, stainless steel, and micro-perforated, but a silicone, collapsible one is my absolute favorite. Easy to clean and easy to store, what's not to love?
•  Vegetable Y Peeler - This vegetable Y-shaped peeler works best for slicing vegetables into ribbons.

• Oven-Baked Thai Bang Bang Shrimp
• Quick and Easy Shrimp Risotto
• Chicken Shrimp Pasta Alfredo
• Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Linguine
• Spicy Shrimp in Kataifi Dough

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Thai Noodle Salad Recipe

By Jas

Quick and easy Thai salad recipe with gluten-free rice noodles, spicy shrimp, and vegetables in a buttery garlic lime sauce.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Thai

Yields 4 servings

Calories 565 kcal

Ingredients

1x2x3x

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 1 pound raw large shelled shrimp, fresh or frozen
• ▢ Juice of 2 limes
• ▢ 10 oz. rice noodles, I used linguine
• ▢ 1 seedless cucumber*
• ▢ 1 small red bell pepper
• ▢ A handful of cilantro leaves
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• ▢ ½ to 1 red chile, according to taste
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Instructions

• Defrost (if using frozen) the shrimp, rinse, drain and place in a bowl. Add the lime juice, season with salt and pepper and let marinate for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside.
• Cut cucumber into ribbons with a peeler, spiralize or dice. You will only need about ⅓ of the whole cucumber*. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and slice into ¼-inch wide strips. Put cucumber, peppers, and cilantro into a large mixing bowl.
• In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile; cook for a couple of minutes or until fragrant. Add the shrimp (and the marinade) and cook until pink, about 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the skillet into a warm bowl.
• Add the cooked noodles to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat them. Transfer to the bowl with vegetables and add the shrimp; toss to combine. Transfer to a large warm platter and serve immediately.

Notes

• If there are visible black veins down the back of the shrimp, clean them out using a sharp knife.
• Make a shallow cut down their outer curves and pull them out.
• Instead of chile, you can use ½ teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes.
• Replace butter with olive oil for an even healthier option.
• To slice cucumber into ribbons: trim the ends and use vegetable Y peeler (see in Products Used below) to carefully slice cucumber lengthwise into long, thin ribbons.

Nutrition

Calories: 565kcal (28%) | Carbohydrates: 64g (21%) | Protein: 26g (52%) | Fat: 21g (32%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (15%) | Cholesterol: 285mg (95%) | Sodium: 1112mg (46%) | Potassium: 299mg (9%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 2g (2%) | Vitamin A: 1385IU (28%) | Vitamin C: 45.2mg (55%) | Calcium: 195mg (20%) | Iron: 3.3mg (18%)

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