Vietnamese Shrimp Rice Noodle Toss

A fast Vietnamese-inspired shrimp noodle toss with cool mini cucumbers, crisp romaine, herbs, radishes, and sweet peppers for a bright late-June Washington dinner for two.

Ingredients

Shrimp Raw White P&D Large 31/40 Count
10 oz, thawed if frozen and patted dry $7.99
A Taste of Thai® Vermicelli Rice Noodles
4 oz $3.99
Private Selection® Seedless Mini Cucumbers
6 oz, thinly sliced $3.50
Kroger® Romaine Hearts
3 cups chopped, plus a few leaves for serving if desired $6.00
Kroger® Mini Sweet Peppers
4 peppers, thinly sliced $6.00
Green Top Red Radishes
4 radishes, thinly sliced $1.99
Green Onions
2, thinly sliced $1.50
Organic Cilantro
1/2 cup leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped $1.99
Mint
1/4 cup leaves, torn $1.49
Fresh Organic Lime
1 large, juiced $1.50
Son Premium Fish Sauce
2 tablespoons $11.79
Garlic
1 clove, finely grated or minced $0.79
Ginger Root
1 teaspoon finely grated $4.99
Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
1/2 pepper, thinly sliced, optional $2.99
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Warm water
3 tablespoons
Neutral cooking oil
1 tablespoon
Charles Smith Wines Kungfu Girl Riesling Washington White Wine
750 ml $13.99

Instructions

Prep the vegetables and herbs: thinly slice the mini cucumbers, sweet peppers, radishes, green onions, and optional jalapeño; chop the romaine and cilantro, and tear the mint.
Make the Vietnamese-style dressing by whisking lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, warm water, garlic, and ginger until the sugar dissolves; taste and add a splash more water if it is too punchy.
Cook or soak the vermicelli rice noodles according to package directions until tender, then rinse under cool water and drain very well so they do not get gummy.
Toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the shrimp in one layer, and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink, opaque, and cooked through.
Add the sliced sweet peppers to the skillet for the last 30 to 60 seconds, just to warm and slightly soften them, then remove the skillet from the heat.
In a large bowl, toss the drained noodles with the remaining dressing, cucumbers, radishes, green onions, jalapeño if using, chopped romaine, cilantro, and mint.
Plate in shallow bowls or over whole romaine leaves, top with the warm shrimp and peppers, and finish with any extra herbs or cucumber slices for crunch.

Total time: 30 minutes

Estimated cost: About $18–$24 for the used portions, assuming common pantry oil and sugar are on hand; more if buying fish sauce from scratch.

Health notes: Approximately 520 calories per serving with lean shrimp protein, moderate rice-noodle carbs, and plenty of fresh vegetables.

Drink pairing: A lightly sweet Riesling or crisp Sauvignon Blanc works well with the lime, herbs, chile heat, and fish-sauce savoriness.

Wine picks:

Charles Smith Wines Kungfu Girl Riesling Washington White Wine $13.99 750 ml
Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc White Wine $21.99 750 ml

Why it works: Two complementary choices: an off‑dry Riesling to soothe the lime, chile and fish‑sauce umami, and a zippy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to echo the herbs and green crunch. Pick the Riesling if you want the wine to cool heat and amplify the dish’s sweet‑salty brightness; pick the Sauvignon Blanc if you prefer herbaceous lift, citrus snap and a drier finish that cuts through the noodles and shrimp.

Careme