Grilled Shrimp & Rice-Noodle Salad -A Perfect Summer Dish For Less Than $3 Per Person

This salad, with grilled shrimp, veggies, rice noodles and a fabulous spicy sauce, is my new favorite summer dish! I found this recipe in my May 2017 “Rachael Ray every day” magazine and am so happy I tried it out. It has crunch, some sweetness with a bit of tartness, a bit of heat without being overwhelming, it’s cool and refreshing, and super easy to make. Oh, and you can make four good-sized salads hearty enough to work as entrees, for less than $11.

Rachael served this layered in 24-ounce Mason jars which I thought looked particularly fun and fabulous. I think this would be a great addition to any summer cookout, which you can make even more budget-friendly by simply serving smaller portions. For a large outdoor gathering you could use plastic cups and forks for a different way to dish it up, plus it make for an easy clean-up after guests are gone. (Especially great for a buffet where guests eat while they mingle.) Of course you can serve it in a bowl too…ha!

Using rice noodles keeps this gluten-free and you can omit the shrimp and use vegan fish sauce for those who are vegan…which makes this a great option when serving guests who have certain dietary needs. You could also grill up some tofu in place of the shrimp.

(To make this dish even less expensive you can sub regular cucumbers for the English. I’ve made this twice now and the second time I used fresh cilantro, which I have a ton of growing in my yard, instead of the mint and it was delicious!)

GRILLED SHRIMP & RICE-NOODLE SALAD –

Prep Time: 15 minutes      Cook Time: 10 minutes      Serves: 4 for approx. $2.63 per person

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 teaspoons sriracha

4 teaspoons sugar

3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 limes – 1 juiced (about 2 tablespoons), 1 cut into wedges

4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

6 ounces spinach, coarsely chopped

4 ounces thin rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions, then cut with scissors into 2-inch pieces

1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 small red Fresno or jalapeno chile, thinly sliced

1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped

1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves, torn if large

Directions:

Brush a grill or grill pan with the oil and heat over medium-high. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 1/2 teaspoons sriracha and 1 teaspoon sugar; (season with salt and pepper if desired).  Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill just until opaque in the center, about 2 1/2 minutes per side; transfer the shrimp to a plate.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon sriracha and 3 teaspoons sugar with the fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water until the sugar dissolves. In four 24-ounce jars, layer the spinach, noodles, cucumber, shrimp, scallions, chile, peanuts and mint. Drizzle with the dressing and serve with lime wedges for squeezing on top.