Vietnamese Crab Salad with Rice Noodles

Recipe by: Rachel Allen | from Favorite Food at Home

Cookstr

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Splurge

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

This is a really gorgeous and substantial salad and I absolutely adore these sweet, salty Southeast Asian flavors.

Yield: Serves 8-10 as a starter

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

½ cup (4 oz) sugar, or more, to taste
6 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
6 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice (juice of 2 lemons or about 3 limes)
2-3 small chiles, deseeded and sliced finely
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp finely grated ginger

For the salad:

9 oz thin or medium rice noodles
5 oz peanuts
1 lb cooked crabmeat
1 large cucumber, chopped
11 oz radishes, trimmed and sliced
¼ c roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stalks

Directions

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a pitcher. Put the noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes until they have softened. Drain and rinse. Meanwhile, toast the peanuts under the broiler preheated to hot. Rub off the skins and roughly chop the nuts.

In a bowl, toss together the dressing with the noodles, then add the crabmeat, chopped cucumber and sliced radishes. Sprinkle the toasted peanuts and the cilantro over the top and serve.

Variation

Crunchy Vietnamese Salad With Rice Noodles

Replace the crab with 4 oz each of bean sprouts, watercress and grated carrot.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

This recipe serves 10.

Calories 277kcal (14%)

Calcium 85mg (9%)

Vitamin C 12mg (20%)

Vitamin A 6mcg RAE (0%)

Potassium 425mg

Magnesium 69mg