Vietnamese Style Prawn and Mango Salad

Serves: 4-6  

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook/assembly time: 10 minutes  

Special Equipment: mortar and pestle, julienne peeler (optional)  

Ingredients  

Prawns 

• 16 large green king prawns (around 500g), peeled and deveined 
• Stalks from 1small bunch coriander, roughly chopped  
• 2 garlic cloves  
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce  
• 1 tsp sesame oil  
• ½ lime, juiced  

Salad  

• 1 large mango, cheeks removed, finely sliced  
• 1 medium Lebanese cucumber, finely sliced lengthwise  
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned or finely sliced lengthwise  
• 200g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 
• 200g bean sprouts, rinsed  
• 1 long red chilli, finely sliced  
• Leaves from 1 small bunch fresh coriander  
• Leaves from 1 small bunch fresh mint  
• 1 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped  
• 1 Tbsp black sesame seeds, lightly toasted  

Dressing  

• 2 garlic cloves, minced  
• 1cm piece fresh ginger, grated 
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped  
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce 
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar  
• 2 tsp white sugar  
• 1 tsp sesame oil 
• 1 lime, juice to taste  

Method  

• To prepare the prawns, place the prawns into a mixing bowl. Add the coriander stalks and garlic in a mortar and pestle and pound together to form a rough paste. Add the paste to the prawns along with the fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice. Set aside in the fridge for around 15 minutes while you prepare the salad. Don’t leave the prawns to marinate for more than 30 minutes.
• Place all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss together. Leave half of the peanuts and sesame seeds for garnish.
• To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients except the lime to a small bowl and stir to combine, dissolving the sugar. Add the lime juice to suit your taste. 
• Place a large, heavy based fry pan over high heat with about 1 Tbsp neutral oil (such as rice bran oil). Cook the prawns for around 2-3 minutes per side or until just cooked through and tender. You could also BBQ the prawns.
• To assemble, add half of the cooked prawns to the salad and pour half of the dressing over, tossing to combine. Add more dressing to suit your taste. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the rest of the prawns. Garnish with the remaining peanuts and sesame seeds. Serve any remaining dressing on the side.

Notes:  

• If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can finely chop the ingredients.
• If you don’t have a julienne peeler, you can use a regular peeler to create long shreds or simply slice thinly. 
• Add the dressing just before serving. 

 Breda is a freelance food content creator, recipe developer and stylist living and working in Sydney. She is passionate about all food that is full of flavour; community, family, heritage and hospitality are at the centre of her food philosophy. She runs Una Mas Creative with her husband, making original and branded content. Check out Breda's Instagram here, and Unamas Creative page here!