This light, delicious Thai Shrimp Salad combines spicy grilled shrimp, fresh edamame, crunchy almonds, and crispy wonton strips under an amazing Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce and a light, bright Chili-lime Vinaigrette.
Our Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad (inspired by Applebee's seasonal salad of the same name) makes a wonderfully satisfying meal that can be ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!
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Not only is our Thai Shrimp Salad deliciously satisfying, but it's also a great pick if you're trying to eat light and healthy.
There are four basic components to this salad. Each part is super-easy to throw together, and the chili-lime and peanut sauces can even be made ahead of time.
- Salad Base
- Pan-fried Shrimp
- Chili-Lime Dressing
- Peanut Sauce
What kind of shrimp work best for Thai Shrimp Salad?
Use raw, deveined shrimp for this recipe. Beyond the question of "raw or cooked," however, there are many other factors that can influence what king of shrimp you use. (I found this article, Everything You Need to Know to Buy Better Shrimp, to be thorough and very helpful.)
We use medium shrimp to prepare this salad; either fresh or frozen depending on the season. When purchasing frozen shrimp, we usually go with individually frozen (IQF), head-off, peel-on shrimp. We find the pre-peeled shrimp to be of lower quality, with less flavor, and peeling them takes only a few minutes.
Recipe Updated May 10, 2021 (Originally published July 23, 2018)
Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
Pan-fried Shrimp
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 8 ounces raw shrimp peeled & deveined
- ½ teaspoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
Salad
- ½ head Napa or Savoy cabbage chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach coarsely chopped
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 2 medium carrots peeled and shredded
- ½ cup shelled edamame
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
- Wonton Strips
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro reserve some uncut for garnish
Chili Lime Vinaigrette
- Juice of 2 limes
- Zest of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon Gochujang paste Depending on how spicy you like things
Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce We recommend "Red Boat" fish sauce
- 1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey or coconut or agave nectar
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ - 1 teaspoon Gochujang paste
Instructions
Prepare Pan-fried Shrimp
- In a large self-sealing plastic bag, combine shrimp, minced garlic, chili powder, and cayenne. Toss until shrimp are evenly coated with the spice mix.
- Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Melt olive oil and butter and swirl to coat the bottom the the skillet. Add shrimp in a single layer. (Do not crowd in pan.) Pan-fry about 2 minutes, then turn and fry until shrimp become pink all the way through and slightly firm, about 2-3 minutes. Do not over cook! Carefully remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
Assemble Salad
- Layer or toss cabbages, spinach, carrots, edamame, green onions, and sliced almonds, wonton strips, and cilantro in bowl. Drizzle with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette and Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro and wonton strips. Serve with additional Vinaigrette and Peanut Sauce.
Chili-Lime Vinaigrette
- Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. (Remember to put the lid on first!)
Sweet & Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce
- Combine all ingredients and whisk or blend until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition for Chili-Lime Vinaigrette Serving: 2 Tablespoons | Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 10mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition for Sweet & Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce Serving: 2 Tablespoons | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.3g | Protein: 3.2g | Fat: 7.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5.2g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
This healthy, delicious salad makes a satisfying meal all by itself, or pair it with our easy 10-Minute Wonton Soup for a light, healthy soup-and-salad combo.
Looking for more hearty, healthy salads? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Armenian-style Eggplant & Carrot Salad
- Potluck-Worthy Big Cuban Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce
- Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harrissa, Feta & Fresh Herbs
Is Gochujang paste new to you? Learn more about it by visiting our Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe. These are seriously the best Brussels Sprouts ever! (For reference: Before them, I wouldn't touch the things.)
Do you love shrimp? Then you'll love our Cast Iron Shrimp & Grits Pizza (with GF Polenta Crust!) and our Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp - be sure to check them out! (And do not miss our Kahuku Shrimp Recipe roundup!! If you've never had Kahuku shrimp; O.M.G - they are crazy good!!!! Like heaven for shrimp lovers!)
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Claudia Lamascolo says
the flavors in this is much better than anything Applebees makes I can tell this is a great recipe and will love it
Catherine says
This looks absolutely delicious! What a wonderful summertime shrimp salad. Loving all the flavors.
Pam Greer says
I haven't tried the Applebees version, and now with yours I won't have to! This looks so fresh and delicious! I love Thai flavors!
Sandi says
I love spicy Thai flavors!
camila says
this shrimp salad looks amazing and specially with the dressing too!! So YUM!
Emily says
This looks amazing! I love copycat recipes, I'd love to try it with chicken too!
Natalia says
I love shrimps and salads, that's a perfect combination for summer. The spicy dressing also appeals to me. Can't wait to prepare it at home. 🙂
Indrani says
Looks so delicious. The recipe breakdown is so simple and easy to follow.
Looking forward to weekend to try this.
E. Smith says
Mmm doesn't this look delicious! It's a perfect summer salad to enjoy. I love all the different flavours in it.
Daisy says
This looks like such a fresh and delicious meal for the summer!! I will definitely be adding the ingredients fir this recipe to my shopping list this week! Thanks for the fabulous idea!
Jas @ All that's Jas says
This Thai shrimp salad is my favorite at Applebees! Thank you for the recipe.
Renée ♥ says
Thank you for checking it out!
Anita says
This is really lovely, and that spicy dressing is really unique. It's the first time I see Thai flavors marry with Korean gochujang. 🙂
Renée ♥ says
We have a lot of Asian fusion here in the Pacific NW, so we're used to it. ?
Pamela says
OOOOH this looks great! I could just eat this up with a spoon!
stephanie says
I love thai food and the spicy thai flavoring was mouth watering.
Alison says
I love the colors in this salad. It has the right amount of crunch, and it's super flavorful!
Bill says
This is Terrific... Have made this several times and it just gets better. The Vinaigrette along with the peanut sauce.....yum!!! I started using store bough Korean gochujang and i got motivated to make my own.. Mine is better and i make two, one spicy and the other milder..
Thank You...
Renée says
Thanks so much for the great feedback, Bill! Homemade gochujang? That sounds fabulous!!
(You might want to check out my recipe for Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts. I am a former Brussels Sprouts hater: these are the sprouts that changed my life.)