Vietnamese Pickled Shrimp and Vegetables

5 from 4 votes

Vietnamese Pickled Shrimp and Vegetables

Make quick Vietnamese Pickled Shrimp and Vegetables in just30 minutes! Perfect for snacks, banh mi toppings, or a fresh lunch—delicious and healthy!

Prep Time15

Pickling Time15

Total Time30

Course: Appetizers/ Snacks

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Servings:

Calories: 106kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

glass jar with lid

Ingredients

Shrimp and Vegetables

8 ounces shrimp thawed from frozen or fresh raw poach (cook) 12 ounces and then remove veins and shells) *see recipe notes
5-6 radishes
sliced thin and julienned
1 medium carrot peeled and julienned
⅓ cup ginger fresh, peeled and julienned
1 lime sliced thinly and cut in half
¼ cup coriander stems sliced
1 - 2 chili peppers fresh sliced (optional)

Pickling Brine

2 tablespoons honey microwaved for just 10-15 seconds (or maple syrup)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
⅓ cup rice vinegar
* see recipe notes for alternatives

Garnishes and Serving

sesame oil to drizzle on top (optional)
cilantro leaves optional
avocado sliced in half (optional)
crispy rice paper crackers or crackers of choice (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep the shrimp and vegetables as described in the ingredient list. Set Aside.
In a medium bowl combine the microwaved honey, fish sauce and rice vinegar and stir well.
Clean a glass container with a tight fitting lid. Layer in the glass container the julienne sliced ginger, poached and prepped shrimp, sliced limes, carrots, radishes, coriander stems and sliced chili peppers.
Pour the pickling brine with the honey, fish sauce and rice vinegar over the shrimp and vegetables. Shake well.
Let the pickle mixture sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Enjoy over an avocado half drizzled with sesame oil and chopped coriander leaves. Delicious served over crispy rice paper crackers or crackers of choice for a healthy snack.

Video

Notes

We used 8 ounces frozen already cooked shrimp and thawed them to keep this recipe quick and easy. If you have raw shrimp cook 12 ounces as they shrimp slightly after poaching.

How to Poach Raw Shrimp?

Fill a pot with water and aromatics like lemon or lime peel, bay leaves, peppercorns, spring onion or cilantro.
Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. We like to remove the shrimp veins but keep the shell on to cook.
Remove from the heat and place the lid on the pot.
Leave the shrimp set in the pot with the lid on for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp, or until pink and no longer translucent.
Carefully drain shrimp and plunge into an ice bath.
Peel the shrimp.

Recipe Tips

For making quick pickles, glass jars are preferred because they are non-reactive.
Our glass jar was 16 ounces.
If you do not have rice vinegar, you can substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
Do not worry if the brine does not fully cover the shrimp and veggies. Initially it leaves some exposed, but after a gentle shake, the brine works its magic.
As this recipe includes fish sauce and fresh limes, the brine will turn slightly cloudy in a few hours.
Allow at least 15-30 minutes before enjoying and best enjoyed within 24 hours.
If you want to keep the pickled shrimp longer, do not add the brine until about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.
To keep gluten-free, we used Red Boat fish sauce.
Feel free to use any fresh vegetables of choice such as cucumber, daikon radish and more in this quick pickle recipe.

Nutrition