Shrimp Mango Salad

Shredded mango, sliced shrimp, grated carrot, basil, mint, and perilla combined together in a sweet and savory Asian inspired salad. In about 20 minutes, you can have a delicious salad ready to be served.

I hope you’re in the mood for something a little different this weekend! Have you ever tried a mango salad at a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant? Or even a papaya salad? They’re pretty similar.

Most of the time, we eat mangoes without any enhancements (although it’s really good with Tajin seasoning too, just saying). Mangoes are so sweet and juicy they don’t need anything else to make them wonderful. You can find mango in salsa or even as an add on for salads. But have you ever had mango as the main ingredient in a salad? Or have you ever used green mango? They’re the ones that are firm and aren’t quite ripe yet? No? Then you are missing out! Green mangoes are so amazingly delicious because they have contrasting flavors: sweet and sour. When you’re shopping for green mango, you want mangoes that feel firm under the pressure of your fingers. The outer part of the mango will be slightly sour and hard while the inside will be sweeter and softer.

This green mango was huge! Both of my hands could not wrap around it. Cut the mango into the size of matchsticks, toss in some fresh herbs such as mint, basil, and perilla, add a little bit of carrots, several shrimp, drizzle some fish sauce and mix in the tiniest bit of sugar to balance out the saltiness. And voila! You have yourself, a yummy, savory yet sweet, and colorful salad in about 20 minutes. The only cooking you have to do is boiling the shrimp.

Seems easy, doesn’t it? I promise you that it is!

First, cook the shrimp in a small pot of boiling water. Once the shrimp has turned an orange red color and is no longer gray, remove the shrimp from the water and set them aside to allow them to cool. Once they’re cool enough to touch comfortably, slice the shrimp in half. This gives the illusion that there are twice as many shrimp in the dish than there really are, keeping the dish healthier, with fewer worries about cholesterol. I have to admit that I love shrimp. My mom constantly reminds me not to eat too many…

Doesn’t it look like I now have a lot more shrimp than before? The truth? There’s actually less. I ate one before I took the photo =) For the mango, peel off the outer skin. My mango was too big for me to work with so I had to cut them into small pieces. Grate the mango into matchstick size pieces. Pat the mango dry. Mango has tons of juice. You want to pat the mango dry so that the salad isn’t too soggy. Add the shrimp to the mango. Grate the carrot into matchstick size pieces too. Then add them to the salad.

Tear up mint, basil, and perilla for a more rustic look. Toss them into the salad. Mint and basil are common herbs. Perilla might not be common. We eat it often in our house, and I love the dark purple color. If you like spicy, which I absolutely love, slice one chili pepper and add it to the salad.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 2 teaspoon sugar. The sugar helps balances out the saltiness and the strong flavor. Drizzle the fish sauce and sugar mixture over the salad as needed. Serve the salad cold. Enjoy! Want instant updates? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram, or Bloglovin.

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