Vietnamese shrimp salad is a light meal packed with bold flavors and serious crunch. A traditional rice noodle salad loaded with seared shrimp, crisp vegetables, and an irresistible nuoc cham sauce. This post is sponsored by Terra d’Oro Winery. All opinions are my own.
Vietnamese shrimp salad is a one-bowl meal that’s bursting with exotic flavors. It’s a light entree that packs a flavorful punch. Inspired by one of my favorite restaurant meals to order, a bowl of rice vermicelli noodles.
Traditionally served with barbecued beef or pork meats, although for this recipe I seared jumbo shrimp (prawns) that were marinated in a savory sauce. This shrimp salad is loaded with layers of fresh vegetables and served with a popular Vietnamese nuoc cham dipping sauce. Grab some chopsticks and a generous glass of Rosé wine and enjoy!
How to make vietnamese shrimp salad
A satisfying Vietnamese shrimp salad makes the seafood the star while being complemented with a myriad of fresh vegetables and light rice noodles. What makes each bite irresistible is the sweet and slightly spicy sauce.
The thin vermicelli rice noodles or bún comes in small dried bundles. The noodles are translucent in appearance and cook very quickly. They soak in hot boiled water for just a few minutes until tender and then rinsed with cold water to stop the cooking process. The rice noodles should be cool when served with the other salad components.
The shrimp marinate in a combination of robust Asian flavors. Soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, honey, lemongrass and a special ingredient, some Rosé wine. Did you know the alcohol in the wine can help improve the flavor infusion of the marinade? Just a little bit makes a difference in improving the taste.
Terra d’Oro 2017 Rosé is the perfect match for this shrimp salad dish because of its extraordinary balance of fruit, savory, acid and mineral notes. The wine’s mandarin orange and subtle orange blossom aromas compliment the flavors of the marinade beautifully and infuse into the shrimp.
The marinated shrimp cook in a hot skillet on the stovetop or barbecue on the grill for warmer days. The honey in the marinade and high heat helps create a beautiful crust on each piece. The marinade can even be used for chicken, beef, or pork if you want to switch up the proteins.
Any chance I get, I love to add colorful vegetables to recipes. The base of this salad is thinly sliced romaine lettuce, topped with bean sprouts, shredded carrots, crisp cucumbers. If you have a chance to pickle the cucumbers, that will take the flavor to the next level! The Vietnamese bún salad is commonly served with crunchy egg rolls, so if you also have time, make sure to add it to the dish.
I love being able to pair the right varietal of wine to my recipes so that the flavors carry over from the bottle into the dish. Each bottle of Terra d’Oro 2017 Rosé is made from hand-picked Grenache and Nebbiolo grapes, grown in Amador County. The grapes are gently pressed with minimal skin contact to reveal a delicate blush pink color. It’s gorgeous!
As you enjoy each bite, the medium-bodied and off-dry wine complements the meal, especially the exotic Asian ingredients. Each sip bursts with citrus, strawberry, baking spice, and mineral notes, heightened by grapefruit, watermelon and cantaloupe aromas. The crunchy salad and the crisp glass of Rosé work harmoniously together to satisfy the taste buds, it’s a dream pairing!
More salad recipes
Wine’s role in marinating foods
Not only does wine bring instant pleasure to the consumer, it has benefits in cooking which should also be highlighted. Alcohol enhances the flavors of food by improving flavor perception. The volatile aromas quickly move to the nose, carrying the unique attributes of the grapes to your senses. The alcohol in the wine can bond with the water and fat in marinades which can then penetrate more deeply into the meat or seafood protein cells for better marination and flavor.
Vietnamese Shrimp Salad with Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, 16/20 size, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- ¼ cup rose wine
- 5 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice, divided
- 6 tablespoons honey, divided
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
- 2 tablespoons lemongrass, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 thai chili, minced
- 8 ounces thin rice noodles
- 8 cups romaine lettuce, ¼-inch thick slices
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup english cucumber, thinly sliced 2-inch long pieces
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- ½ cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, wine, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and lemongrass.
- Allow shrimp to marinate for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small bowl whisk together ¼ cup fish sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, ¼ cup honey, rice vinegar, water, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and minced red chili.
- Taste and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed, then set nuoc cham sauce aside.
- In a medium-sized pot bring enough water to cover the rice noodles to a boil.
- Turn heat off and add in noodles, allow to sit until tender, 3 minutes.
- Remove noodles and transfer to a colander and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, once hot add the marinated shrimp in one layer.
- Sear shrimp until a brown crust is formed, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Flip and cook until no longer translucent, about 1 minute.
- Transfer shrimp to a plate.
- Evenly divide salad ingredients into 4 bowls; romaine lettuce, rice noodles, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, basil, shrimp, green onions and roasted peanuts.
- Serve nuoc cham sauce on the side.
Notes
- Makes: 1 cup Nuoc Cham sauce.
- MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Substitute soy sauce for gluten-free tamari.
Judy says
Oh my gosh! This looks beautiful. Can’t wait to get a mouthful of this. I showed it to my husband and he is pretty happy knowing it is in this future. Jessica what kind of shrimp did you buy as in brand and location. I’m always confused which countries are safe to purchase it from.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Judy! I have a great local market that sells sustainable seafood and Albertson’s started selling it as well. Just ask how the shrimp was harvested and I’m sure the salespeople can help you. Also for a great guide for how to buy seafood, I reference the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch Program”, just search that in your browser. It has great information on how to buy seafood based on location and catch methods. I will also keep an eye out for you for any frozen brands. As for size, make sure to buy the “16/20 count”, which is 16 to 20 pieces of shrimp per pound.
Judy says
I will download that guide. Thank you for all the info. You are my well of abundance.
Jessica Gavin says
You are so welcome Judy 🙂
Cynthia says
Yay!! I bought fish sauce about a month ago and now I get to use it. One question they do not sell lemongrass within 100 miles from my house. Is there anything I can substitute? I don’t want to spend the extra money buying it on line for such a small amount.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Cynthia- So excited for you! Don’t worry about the lemongrass, I would just add some zest of the lime into the marinade to give it some nice citrus aromatics.
Judy says
Oh lime. Great. I love a touch of lime.
Jessica Gavin says
Me too! So refreshing 🙂
Krista says
Hi Jessica! This salad looks so incredibly amazing! Shrimp rice noodle salad is also my go-to dish to order at Vietnamese restaurants (with a side of spring rolls of course!). But definitely going to make this salad at home now that I have your recipe!
Jessica Gavin says
Yay! Thank you Krista! The nuoc cham sauce is really good, I know you will love it. Great hearing from you!
Alishs says
This is amazing!! Tastes just like a restaurant and my children loved it. I even made a few mistakes because I was in a hurry and it was still delicious.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback! One of my favorite dishes 🙂
Michelle Crames says
It was delicious and easy! Kids loved it!
Abby King says
This was DELICIOUS!!! Honestly, one of my new favorite recipes and I will definitely be making this again. It was just what I was craving and I am so happy to be able to make something so refreshing and healthy and very enjoyable to eat in my own home!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Jessica Gavin says
You’re so welcome Abby! It’s one of my favorite light and flavorful summer recipes.
Susan says
This was truely excellent with a few “subtle” differences to similar recipes. I am blessed to fish for spot prawns off the Sunshine Coast on British Columbia and they were perfect for this ~
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, the spot prawns sounds amazing with the salad!