Vietnamese-Inspired Shrimp Cucumber Salad

High-Protein, Fresh & Crunchy, Meal Prep Friendly

This Vietnamese-Inspired Shrimp Cucumber Salad is one of my favourite fresh, high-protein lunches when I want something light but still packed with flavour. You have juicy tiger prawns, crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, LOTS of fresh cilantro, and the most delicious spicy lime dressing. It’s salty, sweet, tangy, a little spicy, and has so much freshness from the lime and cilantro.

I love air frying or oven baking the tiger prawns with a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper before tossing them into the salad. They only take about 7 minutes to cook, which makes this such an easy lunch to throw together. And the dressing is SO good, the cilantro stems get used instead of going to waste, with red chilies, garlic, fish sauce, coconut aminos, sweet chili sauce, Manuka honey, and fresh lime. Fresh, crunchy, spicy, and honestly the kind of salad I could eat over and over again!

What You Need (Makes 4 Lunches)

Shrimp Salad

600 g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
300 g cucumber, thinly sliced
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 shallot, thinly sliced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Flaky or sea salt, for the cucumber

Spicy Lime Dressing

Cilantro stems from above
2 red chilies
3–4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce (I like the brand Naked & Saucy)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tsp Manuka or raw honey
Juice of 1 small lime

Method

Preheat the air fryer or oven to 425°F.

Season the tiger prawns with a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Air fry or oven bake the prawns at 425°F for 7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Lightly season the sliced cucumber with flaky or sea salt.

Add the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, shallot, red onion, and fresh cilantro leaves to a large bowl.

Combine the cilantro stems, red chilies, garlic, coconut aminos, sesame seeds, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, freshly ground black pepper, Manuka or raw honey, and fresh lime juice to make the spicy lime dressing.

Add the cooked tiger prawns to the salad, pour the spicy lime dressing over everything, and toss until well combined.

Serve fresh or divide between four containers for lunches.

Serving Suggestions

I love eating this exactly as it is for a fresh, high-protein lunch. If you want to make it a little more substantial, serve it alongside jasmine rice or rice noodles, or add some avocado for extra creaminess.

It’s also SO good finished with extra fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and some sliced red chilies if you love a little extra heat.

Recipe by Taylor Robinson | Holistic Health & Wellness Chef | Dishing with Tay