Exotic Salad by Marie K Verbois

Whether painting, framing old Chinese emrboideries or cooking, Marie K Verbois usually runs her own show. She is always ready to create a new recipe, to try unusual combinations, taking cuisine to another level. Recently she had dinner at a Chinese restuarant and was inspired by one of the appetizers to create her own exotic salad. She prepared a delicious Sea food stew with fish, scallops, mussles, carrots, fennel, olives ... The garnish fot this stew was cous-cous that she had steamed in the "couscousier", the special pan to steam cous cous, that she brought from Tunisia where they lived for five years.
Her dessert was a red currant clafoutis that she served with stems of fresh red currants. The lovely dessert plates are hand painted and come from Turkey, where they also lived for five years.
Marie's Exotic Salad:
Ingredients:
1 small Chinese cabbage chopped in thin stripes
2 medium mangoes, not ripe
12 medium shrimps
cilantro and mint leaves
Sauce :
2 Tbs Nuoc mam,
1 Tbs water,
juice of one lemon,
pepper,
1 garlic clove, chopped,
1/4 cup of roasted peanuts, chopped.
Steps:
Slice the cabbage in thin slices. Peel and grate the mangoes using a medium grid. Cut the back of the shrimps in two alongside so that they form a heart. In a bowl, mix the nouc mam, add the water, the lemon juice, the chopped garlic, the freshly ground pepper.
15 minutes before serving, mix the mangoes and cabbage in a large salad bowl, add the herbs and toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Serve in individual soup plates, place the the shrimp hearts, sprinkle the chopped peanuts and a branch of mint. Add the remaining of the sauce. Leave in the fridge to 10 minutes before serving.
Marie presented the salad in individual portions as in the picture below:

Lovely table! Bon appetit!