Who’s for noodles: Mango and rice noodle salad with crab 

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Who’s for noodles: Mango and rice noodle salad with crab

By Sarah Cook

Published: | Updated:

Crab might be a treat, but a little goes a long way in this full-flavoured salad – with sweet mango balancing sharply dressed noodles.

SERVES 2

TAKES less than 15 minutes

200g straight-to-wok rice vermicelli noodles

½ large, ripe mango, peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons

2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

small handful of mint leaves

small handful of Thai basil leaves

small handful of coriander leaves

100g white crab meat, fresh or tinned (drained)

FOR THE VIETNAMESE-STYLE SWEET & SOUR DRESSING

1½ tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

1½ tbsp water

1 fresh red chilli, diced

  • Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then cool.
  • For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
  • Tip the noodles into the dressing and toss to coat a few times.
  • Add the mango, most of the spring onion, all of the herbs and 1 tbsp of the crab meat. Toss very gently to work all of the ingredients through the noodles.
  • Divide the noodles between bowls or plates then top with the rest of the crab meat and scatter with the remaining spring onion.

TIP For salads, cook or soak the noodles so they are ready to eat, then rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Drying on kitchen paper is a good way to avoid watery salads and diluting the dressings.