Once back from all the traveling I have been doing this summer, I couldn’t wait to have something fresh and light. This salad was so easy to put together and makes a nice lunch, a light dinner, or even a good first course. Since we were traveling and my grocery supplies were low, I was out of ginger and rice wine vinegar so I improvised with sake and minced natural pickled ginger and the results were fabulous.The recipe for the dressing made more than we needed and you could use it for a dip for chicken fingers, or do as I did and halve the quantities. It’s quite a sweet dressing with a bit of kick but if you prefer something less sweet, you can try this Orange Sesame dressing.
We used a full pound of prawns and served this as a main course with chunky pieces of bread, then ice cream for dessert.
Shrimp, Mango, and Avocado Salad with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette
Adapted from Epicurious
1 large head of butter lettuce (I used a living one from Windset Farms), leaves separated and washed
1 large mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 large avocado, peeled pitted, and sliced
12 large prawns, with tails (about 8 ounces/half a pound), cooked
1 Tbsp of minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar (or, as I used, sake)
½ cup Asian sweet chili sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger, rice vinegar, and chili sauce. Set aside.
On each of four plates, arrange the lettuce, mango, and avocado slices. Top with cooled cooked shrimp. I sautéed mine lightly in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, then allowed them to cool to room temperature.
Drizzle with the dressing or serve with the dressing at the table so everyone can top their own.
Serves 4