This refreshing Thai-style salad with greens, herbs, veggies and shrimp, all tossed in a delicious cashew dressing, is the perfect one-dish summer dinner.
Yield: 2 servings
4.79 from 28 votes

Spicy Thai Salad

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Course: Dinner, Salad
Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese
This refreshing Thai-style salad with greens, herbs, veggies and shrimp, all tossed in a delicious cashew dressing, is the perfect one-dish summer dinner.

Ingredients

For Spicy Cashew Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • ¼ cup whole roasted (salted cashews)
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 1 clove garlic (roughly chopped)
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped white onion
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

For Shrimp:

  • ½ pound large peeled (deveined tail-off shrimp)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For Salad:

  • 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
  • 1 ½ cups packed baby arugula
  • 1 ½ cups packed chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 small corn cob (kernels removed)
  • ½ medium cucumber (peeled, seeded and diced)
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges (for serving)

Instructions

For dressing:

  • In a small blender or food processor, combine dressing ingredients.
  • Refrigerate and set aside until ready to use.

For shrimp:

  • Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel.
  • In a medium bowl, combine all spices from garlic powder to pepper.
  • Add the shrimp and sesame oil and toss gently to evenly coat.
  • Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp 2 minutes per side or until cooked through.
  • Transfer to a plate or cutting board and allow to cool and rest while you assemble the salad.

For salad:

  • In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, arugula and romaine.  Transfer mixture to 2 salad bowls or plates.
  • Top each with half the shrimp, corn, cucumber, carrots, basil and cilantro.
  • Evenly drizzle the dressing over both salads and serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1salad, Calories: 420kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 19.5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 135mg, Sodium: 864mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 14g
Freestyle Points: 7