Prawn noodle salad with soy dressing
Looking for an easy midweek meal with some kick? Our prawn noodle salad is bright, zesty and makes for the perfect springtime dinner.
Salads make the perfect meal for dinner in spring and summer. I’m going to show you how to whip up a prawn noodle salad with soy dressing. The combo of cooked prawns and honeydew melon tastes so fresh and delicious.
First, prep the noodles. Place vermicelli rice noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. I’m going to set this aside for about 2 minutes so the noodles soften. Drain and refresh under cold water – this cools the noodles down quickly so they don’t get too soft and they’re ready to use in the salad.
I’m using the same method for the veggies. Place snow peas, sugar snap peas and peas in another heatproof bowl. Again, pour over enough boiling water to cover them and stand for about 30 seconds. This brings out the bright green colour and keeps them nice and crisp. Drain the veggies and refresh them under cold water. Make sure you drain them well so your salad won’t be watery.
Now for the melon. This adds a sweet burst of flavour to the salad. To make balls from the honeydew, you need a melon baller. If you don’t have one, try using a rounded measuring spoon, or just cut the melon into wedges or squares. Here’s how to do it. Take the melon baller and gently twist it around to make balls.
Presentation is key to a show-stopping salad. I like to go for a variety of shapes and colours in the ingredients – this gives you different tastes and textures and makes the dish look amazing. Here’s how to make cucumber ribbons using a vegetable peeler. All you do is run the peeler along the cucumber to make ribbons. Keep turning the cucumber over as you go.
The hero ingredient of this salad is the prawns. Using cooked prawns makes it really easy, but if you want you could barbecue some raw prawns to add to the salad. With these ones, all I need to do is peel and devein them. Start by removing the head of the prawn, twisting it off like this. Then pull away the legs – this makes it easier to remove the shell along the body. For the best look, leave the tail intact. Now to devein the prawn – this means removing the tube that runs down the back of the prawn. The fastest way is to pull away the thin piece of flesh along the back. Or run a small sharp knife along the back of the prawn, then carefully lift out the vein – this way you’re not losing any of the prawn meat.
To make the soy dressing for the salad, take a small bowl and add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, caster sugar, ginger and sesame oil. I’m also adding a little chopped chilli. Whisk until combined.
To serve up the salad, divide up the noodles. Top with the pea mixture, melon balls, cucumber, some mint leaves and the prawns. Drizzle over the dressing.

Serves
4
Prep
15m
Note: + 5 mins standing time
Cooking
0m
Ingredients
- 200g vermicelli rice noodles
- 100g snow peas, trimmed
- 100g sugar snap peas, trimmed, halved lengthways
- 1/2 cup (60g) frozen peas
- 1/2 honeydew melon, seeded
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled into ribbons
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 500g cooked prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined
Soy dressing (ingredient subheading)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbs rice wine vinegar
- 3 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp finely grated ginger
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped (optional)
Method
STEP 1
Place noodles in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside for 2 mins or until tender. Refresh under cold water. Drain well.
STEP 2
Place snow peas, sugar snap peas and peas in a separate heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 30 secs or until heated through. Refresh under cold water. Drain well.
STEP 3
To make the soy dressing, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger, oil and chilli, if using, in a small bowl.
STEP 4
Use a melon baller to scoop balls from the melon. Divide the noodles evenly among serving plates. Top with the pea mixture, melon balls, cucumber, mint and prawns. Drizzle with the dressing.
Dietary information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.