Authentic Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad (Pla Goong)
Need a tasty idea for a quick lunch? Try Pla Goong, a spicy Thai shrimp salad full of flavor. It has fresh herbs, big juicy shrimp, and spicy Thai chili peppers. The dressing is tangy and spicy too.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1+1/2 lb large jumbo shrimp, tail on but shell peeled, deveined, and heads off.
- 1+1/2 tbsp Thai Nam Prik Pao PLUS 1/2 tablespoon of the oil part that floats to the top. Make sure to use 1/2 tablespoon less for a less spicy taste. Or use store-bought paste here
- 1/3 cup shallot, sliced long and thin
- 2 stalk green onion, chopped small
- 1/3 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped.
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped into 2/3 inch pieces.
- 1 stalk lemongrass, minced very fine. Use only the 4-5 inches of the bottom part
- 3 Kaffir lime leaves, julienned
- 1-10 Thai bird’s eye chilis. Adjust according to spicy tolerance level.
- 1 tbsp fish sauce, Squid or Mega Chef brand
- 2+1/2 tbsp lime juice. More as needed
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
- 1
Prepare shrimp by peeling, deveining, and removing heads. Rinse with cold water, towel dry, and set aside until the water is ready.
- 2
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Use a few cups of water to cover the shrimp when cooking. Add the shrimp and cook for -2 minutes, depending on how rare you like your shrimp. Don't overcook it. No more than 3-4 mintues. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and let cool.
- 3
While the shrimp are cooling, make the salad dressing in a medium bowl by combining Nam Prik Pao (Thai chili paste), garlic, chilis, sugar, and fish sauce. Mix well until sugar mostly dissolves. Set aside.
- 4
Add the shrimp to the salad dressing in the mixing bowl. Stir and taste. It's so good! It's practically done here if you want, but let's keep going!
- 5
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl using shallot, green onion, mint, cilantro, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Toss and adjust the seasoning with lime juice, fish sauce, or sugar. Done!