Easy Thai Mango Shrimp Salad

Easy Thai Mango Shrimp Salad

You can make authentic Thai mango shrimp salad at home! It is one of the most appetizing salads out there, especially mixed in with succulent shrimp. They are a match made in heaven!

You know the salad will be amazing because mangoes are the star.

Mangoes are one of the most delicious fruits in the world, as they are naturally sweet, SUPER aromatic, and have sweet and tart/sour notes. Depending on the variety and ripeness, you can get variations in the amount of sweetness, and the intense “mango” flavour. That fragrance is like no other!

Mangoes make a great salad option because of their taste and aroma, but their meaty texture is also great for salads. The dressing really brings the dish together and only has 3 ingredients including fish sauce, lime juice, and honey. You get the umami punch from the fish sauce, sourness from the lime juice, and sweetness from the honey.

I have used a mango variety that can be easily found at grocery stores all year in Canada, which means you can make this salad anytime you are craving a mango salad! More about how to shop for mangoes in my post. 

To accompany the amazing fruit, we have marinated Black Tiger Shrimps, apples for extra tartness and texture, and rinsed red onions. Rinsed red onions are onions that are soaked in an ice water bath first. More about this technique later.

This salad is so easy to make and oh so delicious!! 

Thai flavours!

This recipe was inspired by countless mango salads that I have eaten at Thai restaurants. The salads may differ by restaurant but the commonality is that it uses green or ripe mangoes, lots of fresh herbs, and vegetables such as red peppers and carrots for colour and texture. 

I kept the salad simple with red onions and apples, but feel free to add in other fruits and vegetables that you have handy. Do top the salad with fresh herbs such as mint, coriander and Thai Basil. 

With the pandemic, I haven’t been able to get Thai Basil at grocery stores for months, or it would have been a great option to complement the salad. 

If you like heat, add in your favourite hot sauce at the end, or sliced Thai chilis. 

What type of mangoes to use? 

Who doesn’t love mangoes?! They top my favourite fruits and there are SO many varieties. Depending on where you live in the world, and what can be imported, the mango selections will differ. Living in Toronto, apparently we have the widest variety in the world.

I have heard so much about Alphonsos mangoes, which are considered the “king of mangos”  that originated in India. They are supposed to be the most fragrant and sweet. I need to try it! 

For this salad, I used “Tommy Atkins” mangoes (more about this variety here) which is the most commercial variety in North America. I had no idea that was the name of the mango until I did further research.

At my local grocery store, it is labeled “Mexican Mangoes” or sometimes “Red Mangoes”. You can spot them with the red-green ombre skin and it can be found at most grocery stores in Canada, not only Asian or other ethnic supermarkets. 

This is my mango of choice for making the salad because it is easy to find, easy to handle, and has a great texture for salads. This variety has a good amount of tartness and sweetness. 

The ripeness of the mangoes for the salad is subjective. Choose unripe/green mangoes to achieve a more tart and sour salad profile, while riper mangoes give you sweeter notes.

How to choose a mango?

Using the Tommy Atkin mangoes as an example, I check for a few things. First of all, ensure the skin looks smooth, not ripped, and that it was not bruised during transport. Also check that juice is not oozing out of the fruit.

Secondly, check the firmness of the mangoes as the colour of the mango skin is not a good indication of the ripeness. Choose your desired firmness for your salad.  I recommend not to use mangoes that are too soft and ripe, as the mangoes will be mushy for a mango salad.

And last, you can smell the fruit. The intensity of the fragrance will give you an indication of the ripeness and how aromatic it will be.  Of course, we can all skip this step during the pandemic while we shop with a mask on.  

Like any other fruits, they can ripen quickly. If you want a green mango salad, try to make the salad soon after you buy the green mangoes at the store. At many Thai restaurants, they serve both green and slightly ripe mangoes in the salad.

I recommend choosing both a green and a firm mango that is starting to ripen, so that you can get a variety of textures and flavour profiles for your salad.

Ingredients in the Thai mango shrimp salad

Aside from the mangoes, the other ingredients include shrimps, apples and red onions. Let’s talk about how the shrimps and onions are prepared. 

Marinated shrimps 

I used Black Tiger Shrimps in the salad as they are tasty and easy to work with. I bought headless shrimps that I peeled and deveined. From there, the shrimps were marinated in fish sauce and lime juice. 

They are simply cooked in a bit of water on the stove top, cooled and added to the salad. 

The shrimps are best cooked ahead of time and kept in the fridge until serving. 

You can also use any shrimp varieties of your choice. 

Rinsed onions 

I really like red onions and find that they are naturally sweet and they bring another tasty dimension, texture and colour to the salad. 

The technique of rinsed onions is to add sliced onions in water with ice cubes for 10-20 minutes before draining them. The onion texture becomes slightly translucent but the main benefit is that you get the sweetness of the onions, without the sharp, almost spicy bite from eating raw onions. This technique can be done with other onion varieties. 

Having rinsed onions in the salad helps to balance out the flavours, without getting an overpowering onion bite. We want the mangoes and the shrimps to shine.

This Thai mango shrimp salad is sweet, tart, and absolutely delicious! Try it out!

RECIPE

For other summer salad recipe ideas, check out

• Creamy Dill Potato Salad
• Japanese Cucumber Salad 
• Roasted Turkey Papaya Salad 

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