Vietnamese Ginger-Lime Shrimp Salad

The shrimp are poached with the shells on to retain as much of their moisture and flavor as possible; the result is a salad that's bright and fresh and packed with flavor.

Ginger-Lime Shrimp Salad
Recipe adapted from Chris Newsome, Ollie Irene, Mountain Brook, AL
Yield: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, scraped
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 pound (21-25 count) shell-on shrimp (preferably Gulf shrimp)
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
½ medium daikon radish, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
¼ medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
9 basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced crosswise (preferably Thai basil)
4 scallions (both light green and white parts), trimmed and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ small Thai chile or jalepeño, finely chopped
¼ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In a blender, combine the ginger, vinegar and fish sauce and mix on high speed until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Pour the ginger-vinegar mixture into a small bowl and refrigerate until cool.

2. Bring a saucepan filled with water to a boil and add the shrimp. Poach until cooked through, about 1 to 1½ minutes. Drain in a colander or fine-mesh sieve; once the shrimp are cool enough to handle, remove the shells and devein the shrimp.

3. In a large serving bowl, toss the carrot, cucumber, daikon, red onion, basil, scallions, cilantro and mint. Stir the lime juice and chile into the chilled ginger-vinegar dressing and then pour the dressing over the vegetables. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve.