Thai shrimp cocktail

1

PREP TIME

25 min

Makes

6 servings

* PLUS Marinating Time: 120 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250 g cooked shrimp , peeled
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp hot chili-garlic sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 mango
  • 1/4 English cucumber
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 6 to 12 leaves lettuce
  • 125-g pkg enoki mushrooms , optional; see tip below
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped toasted peanuts , optional

Instructions

  • If using frozen shrimp, do not thaw. Place in a sieve and rinse under cold running water until ice crystals melt. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Squeeze 3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice into a medium-size bowl. Stir in fish sauce, sugar, ginger, chili-garlic sauce and salt. Place half of shrimp in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tbsp (15 mL) dressing to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Coarsely chop remaining shrimp, then stir into remaining dressing.
  • Core and seed pepper, then chop into 1/3-inch (1-cm) pieces. Add to dressing. Peel mango. Slice fruit from stone in long thick pieces, then chop into pieces about the same size as pepper. Peel cucumber only if you wish. Slice in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard any seeds. Chop into similar-size pieces. Add to dressing along with coriander. Stir until evenly mixed. Salad is best if refrigerated 2 hours before serving. After that, shrimp and vegetables may start to water out.
  • Just before serving, remove whole shrimp and dressing from refrigerator. Line 6 plastic cups, martini glasses or small cocktail glasses with lettuce. Cut to fit, if necessary. Divide salad between glasses. Top with whole shrimp. Trim stem ends from mushrooms and discard. Sprinkle each salad with peanuts and add a few mushrooms.

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories
  • 83,
  • Protein
  • 9 g,
  • Carbohydrates
  • 11.3 g,
  • Fat
  • 0.6 g,
  • Fibre
  • 1.5 g,
  • Sodium
  • 419 mg.

When my friend and aesthetician Tina Moorey offered me this refreshing summer appetizer at a cocktail party, I thought, what a clever idea to serve in plastic cups — and it still looks elegant. Crunchy cucumber, sweet mango and shrimp are tossed in an easy-to-make, aromatic Thai dressing.

Shopping tip

Enoki are creamy skewer-thin mushrooms with a tiny round cap. They’re available year-round at many supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. Their flavour is delicate and they’re often used raw as a finishing touch on salads.

Make ahead

Dressing (without shrimp or vegetables added) will keep well, covered and refrigerated, up to 3 days. Prepare shrimp, mango and vegetables and place all in a plastic bag. Do not add dressing. Refrigerate overnight. A few hours before serving, pour into a large bowl and toss with dressing. Follow serving directions.

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