Discover the vibrant flavors of our Papaya Shrimp Salad, a delicious Thai dish featuring crisp, fresh papaya, succulent shrimp, and a colorful mix of veggies, all tossed in our zesty Orange Vinaigrette dressing. You can have it as an appetizer, or you can simply have it as a main meal if you want to keep it light. Papaya is not usually eaten enough as a fruit, make use of it in this recipe as Papaya is known to have tons of Vitamin A, carotenes, Vitamins C, and is a great antioxidant. For this particular recipe, it is better to choose a Papaya that is not fully ripe, should be more on the green side (on the outside)
Tropical Papaya Shrimp Salad: Fresh and Healthy
Ingredients
- Papaya Fruit, Unripe (more green on the outside)- 1 Medium
- Shrimp, Deveined, Peeled, Poached - 2 pounds
- Green Onions - 1 cup finely chopped
- Carrots, Shredded - 1 cup
- Lettuce, Shredded - 1 cup
- Cilantro Leaves - 1 cup
- Cucumbers, Peeled - 2 small
- Red Bell Pepper - 1 medium
- Small Green or Red Chili Pepper, Chopped - 2 or 3 whole pieces (optional)
- Yellow Raisins - 1/4 cup
- Peanuts, Unsalted - 1/2 cup (optional)
Orange Vinaigrette
- Fresh Orange Juice - 3/4 cup
- Fresh Lime Juice - 1/4 cup
- Red Wine Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Honey - 1 tablespoon
- Sunflower Oil - 1 cup
- Orange Zest - 1 1/2 teaspoon
- Garlic, Minced - 1 teaspoon
- Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Steps
- Step 1
Make Your Orange Vinaigrette
Put all ingredients of the vinaigrette in a blender and blend till ingredients are well blended together. Set aside.
- Step 2
Soak your raisins in a lukewarm water for about 15 minutes until they are soft. Throw away the water when you are done and set raisins aside. (If your raisins are soft enough as they are and you like their texture, do not soak in water.)
- Step 3
Peel the papaya fruit and then cut through it with a sharp knife, lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Clean it very well from the seeds.
- Step 4
Working with each half of the papaya, cut the papaya into thin strips (Julienned style). Do not shred the papaya because you will lose the juices and texture that are a big part of this wonderful seafood salad. Put the papaya in a deep salad bowl.
- Step 5
Peel the cucumber, and cut through it, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds in the center of the cucumber, and again, cut the cucumbers into thin strips(Julienned). Do not shred. Add the cucumbers to your salad bowl.
- Step 6
Take out the stem from your red bell pepper, cut through it lengthwise, and take out the seeds. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips (Julienned). Add to your papaya shrimp salad bowl.
- Step 7
Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the salad bowl, leaving the shrimp till the end (on top of the salad). Add half of the dressing to the seafood salad and fold the ingredients gently together. Serve with extra dressing on the side. Garnish with cilantro leaves and more chopped chili peppers.
Tip
Make sure your shrimp is kept cold while you are making the salad. You can leave the shrimp in a bowl with ice cubes on top of it or in the fridge.
Note
- If you like this salad, also check out our Oriental Chicken Salad: Fresh & Flavorful
- Read Forks Over Knives guide in finding a perfect papaya.
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About the Author: Riwa Saied
