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Grilled or Broiled Shrimp Salad with Thai Basil

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BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED March 29, 2022

A super versatile recipe. Think of steak salad—with a dressing that taps the flavors of Southeast Asia—only change it up for shrimp. It's perfect for spring. Just be sure to look for sustainably farmed or wild-caught shrimp. You can also substitute boneless chicken breasts or tenders or thin slices of firm tofu. Use your favorite chile sauce and adjust the quantity to accommodate the level of heat as you like. And regular Italian-style basil, mint, or cilantro are all good herb choices.

 

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Grilled or Broiled Shrimp Salad with Thai Basil

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Makes 3 to 4 servings 1x

Time 25 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces peeled large shrimp
  • Salt
  • 3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of any Thai-style chile sauce (or more or less to taste; see the headnote)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 cups torn Boston or romaine lettuce leaves, mesclun, or any salad greens mixture
  • 1 cup torn Thai basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded if you like, and chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium direct cooking; or turn on the broiler and position the rack about 4 inches below the heat. Toss the shrimp in 1 tablespoon of the oil and a little bit of salt. If grilling thread the shrimp on skewers (or if you have a perforated grill pan, use that). If broiling, spread the shrimp out in a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Combine the lime juice with 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl. Add the fish sauce, chile sauce, and sugar with 1 tablespoon water in a large bowl—the mixture will be a little thin. Add the lettuce, Thai basil, onion, cucumber and toss with the dressing to coat. Transfer the salad to a platter, reserving the remaining dressing in the bottom of the bowl.

3. Grill or broil the shrimp, turning the skewers once (or shaking the pan) until they’re pink, about 3 minutes. Scatter the shrimp over the salad, drizzle with the remaining dressing, and serve.

—Recipe from How to Cook Everything, Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition

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