How to make delicious and irresistible shrimp salad with water fern stems

How to prepare Shrimp salad with water spinach

• 1

  Prepare water spinach and blanch it

  When you buy water spinach, remove the white floatation part, then cut into short pieces suitable for eating, including the leaves. Rinse the cleaned water spinach with salt water, washing it three times, then drain. For larger stems, use a knife to halve them so that when mixing, the water spinach absorbs the seasoning better.

  Place a pot of water on the stove with 1 pot of water and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook until the water boils. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare a bowl of ice water. Blanch the water spinach for about 2 minutes, then transfer it to the ice water. Submerge the water spinach in ice water and soak for 15 minutes to make it crisper. Then drain it.

  Tip: Blanching the vegetables first will help them stay green and crisp.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare and boil shrimp

  After buying shrimp, wash them clean and then put them in a pot with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of water to boil the shrimp.

  When the shrimp are cooked, take them out and place them in a colander to drain and cool. Next, peel the shrimp, remove the head and shell, pull out the shrimp thread, leaving the tail shell for aesthetics.

  Quick tip for pulling out the black thread on the back of shrimp:

  • Count backward from the shrimp tail to the second groove connecting the two shell segments, poke a toothpick through this position and gently pull the black thread out.
  • You don’t need to use a knife to cut the back of the shrimp; you can also use a toothpick to pry out the head of the shrimp to see the black thread. Gently pull this black thread out, and the shrimp will be clean.

  

  

  
• 3

  Make the salad dressing

  You put 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 4 chili peppers, and 3 cloves of garlic into a mortar, then pound the mixture until it’s fine.

  Then add 2.5 tablespoons of fish sauce, the juice from half a lemon, and stir well.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Prepare the remaining ingredients

  Peel the shallots, then slice them thinly, heat a pan with oil to fry until golden, then remove and drain on a plate.

  Tip: When the shallots just turn yellow, take them out; otherwise, the heat of the oil will cause them to burn.

  Add 2 tablespoons of peanuts to the pan with 1 tablespoon of salt to roast until the peanuts are cooked; when the shells turn color after about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the shells.

  Take 1 lemon, remove the seeds, and squeeze out the juice. Pick the basil leaves, wash them thoroughly, and then cut them in half.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Mix the salad

  Add the water spinach to a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 teaspoon of sugar, then mix well.

  Add 3 tablespoons of the prepared dressing, lime juice, and then mix well.

  Next, add the shrimp and mix, then gradually add the fried shallots and herbs, mixing evenly.

  Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with some roasted peanuts and a few slices of chili, and it’s done!

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Final product

  The plate of shrimp salad with water spinach is not only visually appealing with its green and red colors but also crunchy and delicious from the water spinach, with the sweet and chewy taste of the shrimp blending together, just thinking about it makes you crave it!