Today was officially the first short sleeve and sandal day of spring in Melbourne. Utter bliss. Made even more enjoyable by my freshly spring cleaned windows. I’m in my happy place.

Just as at the start of the colder weather, soup is a fabulous meal that it seems impossible to tire of, the advent of warmer weather paves the way for the sensational salad. In search of inspiration, I pulled out Jane Lawson’s ‘Tossed’. I now have a good three week’s worth of dinner thoughts clogging my poor little brain.

Red Onions
photo by Harris Graber, some rights reserved

Vietnamese Prawn Salad
1/2 wombok (Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage), finely shredded
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
200g tiger prawns, cooked and peeled
200g king prawns, cooked and peeled, tails intact
1 bunch coriander (cilantro), chopped
1 bunch Vietnamese mint, chopped
Dressing
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
juice 2 limes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

  1. Combine salad ingredients
  2. Shake dressing ingredients together in a small jar
  3. Dress immediately before serving