A platter of salad on a green tiled surface.
Photography, Stacey Brandford; recipes and food styling, Christopher St. Onge; prop styling, Andrea McCrindle

Shrimp Salad With Melon and Thai Basil

Bright Southeast Asian-inspired flavours meld together in this refreshing salad.

There’s no such thing as growing too many kinds of basil. Licorice-y Thai basil is especially good in this Southeast Asian-inspired salad, but feel free to use any variety here. Treat the leaves like salad greens and give them a good toss to impart their flavour to the dressing and make them more tender. Our crispy fried shallots finish it off.

A platter of salad on a green tiled surface.

Basil, Melon & Shrimp Salad

Ingredients
  

Dressing

  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped palm sugar or packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 to 2 Thai chilies thinly sliced

Salad

  • ½ small honeydew melon peeled and seeds removed
  • ½ English cucumber
  • 250 g large peeled cooked shrimp patted dry
  • 3 cups loosely packed assorted basil leaves like Thai, purple or dark opal
  • ¼ cup crispy shallots homemade or store-bought

Instructions
 

Dressing

  • In large salad bowl, stir together fish sauce, water, lime juice, palm sugar and chilies until sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

Salad

  • Cut melon into bite-size chunks and add to salad bowl. Halve cucumber lengthwise and place cut-side down on cutting board; press down with the side of a chef’s knife to lightly crush. Chop into bite-size pieces and add to bowl with shrimp and basil. Gently toss to combine.
  • To serve, sprinkle crispy shallots over top.

Love crispy shallots? We do too. And here’s our no-fail easy recipe for crispy fried shallots.

Crispy Fried Shallots
An easy recipe for an addictive garnish: crispy fried shallots.
Get the recipe
A bowl of fried shallots on a green tiled surface

 

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