Island Bliss – Prawn Salad With Coconut Lime Dressing

Island bliss - prawn salad
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Recipe courtesy of Dinner by Nagi Maehashi, Macmillan Publishers, RRP $49.99

As unique as it is addictive. Summer food perfection!

This is a stellar combination of super-fresh flavours and great textures combined with the silky richness of the lime coconut dressing. The combination of plump prawns with sweet apple, crunchy cabbage and vibrant herbs is unbeatable! I’ve also got a great tip for thickening the tangy lime coconut dressing so it clings to every vegetable (spoiler: chill in fridge!). Make this one for hot summer days or as a fantastic starter for Asian-themed menus.

Serves: 4 as a starter, 2 as a main | Prep: 20 minutes + 1 hour refrigeration | cook: nil

  Island bliss - prawn salad   Ingredients

  • 1 green apple
  • 1⁄4 tsp lime juice
  • 2 1⁄2 tightly packed cups (200 g) finely shredded baby wombok cabbage*1
  • 2 green onion* stems, finely sliced on the diagonal
  • 150 g (12 pieces) peeled, cooked prawns*2, halved horizontally
  • 1⁄4 cup (6 g) finely sliced mint (2 mm wide)
  • 1⁄4 cup (5 g) roughly chopped coriander leaves, plus extra to serve

COCONUT LIME DRESSING*3

  • 7 1⁄2 tbsp (110 ml) full-fat coconut cream*
  • 1 1⁄4 tsp lime zest
  • 1 1⁄2 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 1⁄2 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 1⁄4 tsp caster sugar
  • 3⁄4 tsp finely grated ginger*
  • 1⁄2 tsp finely grated garlic*

 

Dressing – Measure out the coconut cream into a jug and refrigerate for 1 hour to thicken4. Do not leave for hours as it will get too thick!

Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the flavours meld.

Slice apple – Slice the apple into 2 mm batons – you need 1⁄2 cup (40 g) in total. (Cut the apple just before serving and toss with the lime juice.)

Make salad – Place the cabbage, apple and green onion in a bowl. Drizzle over three-quarters of the dressing and toss gently. Add the prawns, mint and coriander and toss gently again.

Serve – Pile the salad high into serving bowls and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle with extra coriander leaves and serve immediately!

NOTES

  1. Baby wombok is the small, young version of standard wombok cabbage. The leaves are slightly more tender, which works well in this salad. If you can’t find it, ordinary wombok cabbage is fine.
  2. I use store-bought whole cooked prawns. These are naturally seasoned, so you don’t need to salt them. You can also cook your own raw prawns. Toss the prawns in 2 teaspoons of oil and 1⁄8 teaspoon of salt. Cook in a non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat for 1–1 1⁄2 minutes on each side (depending on their size). Remove, cool, then use as per the recipe.
  3. The dressing is best made fresh to preserve the lime flavour. Salad components can be prepared ahead (except the apple, which is always best cut fresh) but keep them separate.
  4. Refrigerating the coconut cream thickens it so the dressing is nice and creamy, rather than runny.

LEFTOVERS Once dressed, serve immediately. Left-over salad does not keep well.

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