By: Molly Moss
Comfort, Dairy Free or Dairy Free Adjustable, Mains, Veggie Heavy, , , ,

Banh Mi Inspired Shrimp Salad Toasts

I love banh mi and I love New England shrimp rolls, so why not a combo of the two? This dish features some of my favorite flavors of a banh mi–buttered bread, crisp pickled carrot and daikon, lots of cilantro and jalapeño–while still making saucy shrimp salad the star. This recipe is pretty flexible, so trust your palate! You want more spice? Add it! More lime? Be my guest! It’s perfect for a make ahead lunch or even dinner party appetizers.

Tips:

  • Prepare the pickled carrots and daikon before you chop the rest of your vegetables. This will give them enough time to pickle.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the shrimp salad

  • 4 oz carrots (about 3 small carrots), finely diced
  • 3 oz daikon, finely diced
  • ½ cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1.5 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. 
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
  • 2 persian cucumbers, finely diced
  • ¾ cup cilantro stems, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 5 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1-2 tsp chili flakes
  • Juice of 1 lime

Assembly

  • Butter
  • Toasts (french baguette is a great option)
  • Cilantro leaves
  • Full slices of jalapeño
Instructions
  1. Combine the chopped carrots, daikon, ½ cup rice vinegar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp of sugar in a bowl. Add ½ cup water. Set aside while you prep the rest of your ingredients. For reference, see the picture above for what your vegetable cuts should look like. 
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a very generous amount of salt. While the water heats, prepare a bowl filled with ice water. 
  3. Poach the shrimp in the boiling water until fully cooked through (you can check by cutting one in half), about 2 minutes. Immediately drain and place shrimp in the ice bath to cool. 
  4. Drain the shrimp, then roughly chop them into bite size pieces. 
  5. In a large bowl, combine the chopped shrimp, cucumbers, jalapeno, cilantro stems, fish sauce, mayonnaise, chili flakes, and lime juice. Drain the carrots and daikon and add them as well. Stir to combine. 
  6. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Adjust any other seasonings to your taste preference (more spice or more acid). 
  7. Chill until ready to use. 
  8. To assemble, butter some toasted bread and top with the shrimp salad, cilantro leaves, and sliced jalapeño.