This Asian Sesame Salad is loaded with fresh crunchy veggies, sunflower seeds, and tender juicy shrimp all tossed in a sugar-free sesame ginger dressing.

This salad is a meal in one and it is perfect served cold.  A quick and healthy meal for any of those summer nights when you don’t feel like cooking.

The Perfect Asian Sesame Salad!

This salad is so easy to make, and it’s also very flavorful.  It’s so fresh-tasting and it is packed with healthy veggies and a lean protein source.

I love this salad, you guys. It is the perfect summertime meal that keeps us out of those hot kitchens! Last week our heat index was over 110 degrees some days!

But with the crunch of some salad veggies, the addition of the cold juicy shrimp, and my healthy sesame and ginger dressing, this salad makes a delicious recipe for those types of days.

There is absolutely no cooking required with the way this recipe is written, which is why I love it so much. It is ready to eat in under 30 minutes. Can I get a loud cheer for no cooking and quick?

I do realize that a cold shrimp may not be everyone’s cup of tea so if you would like a warm element, that’s a simple step of quickly sauteing your shrimp in some of the dressing before tossing them with your salad mix.

Oh, and if you are one of my readers that don’t enjoy shrimp at all I recommend trying this salad with a grilled chicken or a nice salmon filet over the top.

There are no wrong proteins for this delicious salad. I could change the proteins each time and I think my family would eat this salad at least three days a week!

Yes, it is that fresh and that good!

Making the Asian Sesame Salad with Shrimp

You guys, seriously, I know I mentioned it before but this is such an easy recipe! If you want to skip the rest of this post as I talk more about this recipe please feel free to scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions.

But I wanted to share the basic steps and some tips here in the post.

You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this tasty dish and all of them can be found in your local grocery store. The only ingredient that may pose a small problem is the Coconut Aminos.

This product is a substitute for soy sauce that works well for those of us on a low-carb diet, THM, or for those who need to avoid soy for health reasons. 

It is a tasty alternative and I can find it in the natural section of my Kroger and a small health food store we have in town.

However, if you do not have access to it in your area you can use soy sauce Braggs Liquid Aminos, or even regular soy sauce in the dressing. 

Here are the Ingredients You’ll Need:

1. Asian Salad Mix (often called salad kits)
2. Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce
3. Avocado oil
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
5. Sesame oil
6. Dry spices like garlic and ginger
7. Cold cooked shrimp
8. Low Carb Sweetener

See I told you those ingredients are simple! Just a small note on the Asian Salad Mix. It is a salad kit that I find at Kroger and Walmart.

But the dressing in the package is made with all types of oils that are not good for us at all and some carb-filled fried noodles.

I just love the variety of greens in this mix and it is a lot easier than buying all the veggies and chopping them myself!

So I save a ton of time in the kitchen when I buy these and just toss out their dressing packs and toppings. I enjoy making my own dressing and adding in some sunflower seeds for more crunch!

It’s amazing the flavor that you’ll get out of just these ingredients in this salad. The fact that we can mimic those prepackaged Asian Sesame dressings you buy in the stores with just a few modifications without sacrificing taste makes me one happy girl!

When you get for dinner and have all your wonderful ingredients gathered then you’re ready to make your Asian Sesame Salad! The process is as easy as finding the ingredients I mention.

Here are the Basic Steps to Make this Salad

1. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Add the Asian Salad Mix into a large bowl with the cooked shrimp.
3. Add your desired amount of dressing to the salad mixture and toss very well.
4. Serve and Enjoy!

Tips for Making This Asian Sesame Salad with Shrimp

1. To avoid gluten and lower the soy content choose a soy sauce alternative like the Coconut Aminos I used in this recipe.
2. For the best results with the dressing, I make it at least 30 minutes before serving it. The chilling time gives the dressing flavors time to marry. I love to make mine the night before so it has more time but that is optional. It only takes 5 minutes to mix and will last up to a week in an airtight jar. 
3. For the added crunch I use sunflower seeds but sliced almonds or roasted cashews would be amazing in this salad!
4. I recommend adding the dressing and tossing it right before serving. The dressing recipe below makes a little over a cup of dressing and I use most of it because we like a lot of it, however, I suggest adding a 1/4 cup then tossing the salad until you get to your desired amount of dressing. 
5. This is a cold salad as the recipe is written but if you prefer to have a warm element then saute your shrimp for a few minutes in a few tablespoons of your dressing then toss with the salad.
6. Don’t like shrimp? No problem you can substitute some cooked chicken breast or grilled salmon over the top of the salad. Even steak would be amazing.
7. Final Tip: Make this salad right away and enjoy! 

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Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Asian Sesame Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A crunchy mix of fresh veggies tossed with juicy shrimp, sunflower seeds, then tossed in a delicious sugar-ree Asian Sesame Dressing. This salad is served cold and makes a wonderful summertime dinner.

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Ingredients

• Salad Ingredients!
• 2 bags of Asian Salad Mix
• 1 pound cooked peeled shrimp
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
• Sesame Ginger Dressing!
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
• 3 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of Erythritol Stevia sweetener blend
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of ginger juice or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• pinch of salt to taste
• small pinch of glucomannan for thickening (optional)

Instructions

1. Add the Asian Salad Mix to a large bowl. If your bag included a dressing or toppings discard or save for another time.
2. In a pint-sized jar add all the ingredients and place the lid on tightly. Shake well for a few minutes until fulling combined. I suggest tasting the dressing at this point and adjusting it to your liking. If you like it more on the tangy sie start with just 2 tsp of sweetener then taste and add more if needed.
3. Toss the cooked shrimp with a couple of tablespoon of the dressing and let them sit in the fridge while the dressing chills. Chill the dressing for 20-30 minutes for the best results. Note: if you would like your shrimp to be warm you can saute them a bit in the dressing then add them to the salad'
4. After chilling the dressing add the shrimp to the Asian Salad Mix and toss with the dressing. You can use as much or as little of the prepared dressing as you like. The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to a week if any is left over. This dressing is also tasty on baked salmon.

Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!