Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Miso-Peanut Shrimp

Save this recipe for when you’re craving crunch or end up with too much cabbage! No judgement, it’s easy to do since even a small head of cabbage can yield enough for a lot of salads or other recipes. This Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Miso-Peanut Shrimp is a great salad for a main dish, but keep reading to explore all the versatile options.

Why You’ll Love This Crunchy Cabbage Salad

A quick glance at this colorful bowl should tell you all you need to know, but here’s why you’ll dig this easy recipe:

• It’s packed with a variety of crunchy vegetables and greens to help you enjoy the more flavor and nutrition.
• Customize it by swapping the shrimp for seared tofu or rotisserie chicken depending on your protein preference. It also makes a great side dish if you already have another entree on the menu.
• The sauce doubles as a dressing or marinade. Make extra to serve with other favorites!

This Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Miso-Peanut Shrimp is part of my ongoing series for Salads That Don’t Suck. These easy salad recipes are intended to be super satisfying and filling enough to be a complete meal. And most importantly, it’s nothing like the sad salads you might see somewhere else.

Dry pile of iceberg lettuce, I’m looking at you!

Ingredients You’ll Need

You can easily modify this crunchy cabbage recipe with other ingredients. But these are the core components I recommend using:

• Green Cabbage: I think cabbage is such an underrated ingredient, so pick up a small head of cabbage or a bag of coleslaw mix 
• Red Cabbage: also called purple cabbage, this option adds a burst of color and slightly more bitter flavor. If you can’t find, simply replace with any variety of shredded cabbage.
• Carrots: they add a little sweetness to balance the bitter flavor of cabbage and the savory flavor of miso. Save yourself time and effort by buying matchstick carrots or using a box grater to shred
• Spinach: a favorite leafy green for a salad like this, since the leaves are a little larger than other pieces and make it easier to build the best bites
• Green Onions and Cilantro: more green and more flavor!
• Avocado: I love the richness and color you get from a perfectly ripe avocado. But this recipe will still work without it if they’re too expensive or over- or under-ripe
• Crispy Toppings: roasted peanuts and wonton strips add extra crunch
• Shrimp: look for a larger size if possible, like 20-31 ct (meaning, the number you get per pound)

The dressing ingredients include:

• Peanut butter
• Miso
• Soy sauce
• Neutral-flavored oil
• Lime juice
• Garlic
• Red pepper flakes

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: While many DIY salad dressing recipes call for olive oil, you may not enjoy the flavor of it when mixed with peanut butter, miso, and lime juice. Don’t be afraid of using canola or vegetable oil, which also contains some heart-healthy fats and are less expensive than other neutral oils like avocado oil or grapeseed oil. 

Note that there is no added salt. That’s because miso and soy sauce already contain relatively high amounts of sodium. If you’d like that balance that with some sweetness, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar. This can also be helpful for browning the shrimp, as the sugar dissolves into the marinade but can caramelize under the broiler.

How to Make Miso-Peanut Shrimp

Miso is the secret sauce in this peanut butter-based sauce! It’s made from fermented soybeans and packs a deliciously savory punch. If you’re a fan of umami flavor, feel free to add more (which is what I usually do).

1. First, make sure your shrimp are peeled and deveined. If you’re cooking from frozen, let the shrimp fully thaw. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix the ingredients for the miso-peanut sauce in a small bowl. Whisk thoroughly to make sure it’s creamy and smooth. 
3. Divide the sauce in half (about 1/2 cup for each portion). Toss the peeled shrimp with half of the sauce, making sure the shrimp are fully coated.
4. Arrange the sauced shrimp on a sheet pan, leaving room between each. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray for easier cleanup.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and firm.

​This step is optional, but you can roast under the broiler for the final two minutes of cooking. Just be sure your baking sheet is on the middle rack of your oven to avoid scorching the miso-peanut shrimp.

It’s a huge time-saver to buy peeled and deveined shrimp, but they can be a little more expensive. If you plan to do the work yourself, allow an extra 10-15 minutes to peel and devein the shrimp before cooking. This extra time is not accounted for the in recipe card below, but it’s an estimate based on how long the process took me during recipe testing.

How to Make a Crunchy Cabbage Salad

While the miso-peanut shrimp are baking, you’ll have time to finish the prep steps for the crunchy cabbage salad.

1. Finish any slicing or shredding, then add the following ingredients to a large salad bowl: green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, spinach, cilantro, and green onions.
2. Give it a toss with salad tongs, then spoon in the miso-peanut dressing and toss again. Use a small amount at first to avoid a soggy salad. You can always add more if you like a more heavily dressed texture.
3. Once the miso-peanut shrimp are done, remove from the oven. Let them cool slightly then plate them on top of the dressed salad.
4. Add some sliced avocado, wonton strips, crushed peanuts, and any other toppings you’d like. 

The last part is the best part: serve and enjoy!

Storage Tips for Meal Prep

This Crunchy Cabbage Salad recipe is best served fresh for maximum crunch. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth including in your meal prep efforts! Here’s how I do it:

• Leave the salad undressed. This is critical to avoid a sad, soggy salad when you go to eat it the next day!
• The miso-peanut shrimp can be cooked ahead of time and chilled. For best results, store separately from the salad greens. Reheating is optional, but microwave in short, 10-15 second bursts to take the chill off before building the salad.
• Normally, you’d wait to slice or dice the avocado until the last minute to avoid browning. But if you have part of an avocado left, wrap it tightly in press & seal plastic or a reusable stasher bag. Scrape off any browned pieces if you want to, but it will still taste fine!
• The miso-peanut sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Give it a stir until creamy and smooth again, although it may be slightly thicker compared to room temperature. Just be sure not to reuse any of the portion used to marinade the raw shrimp, as that’s a food safety risk.

And meal prepping is often about saving time and stress. So here are a few more tips to make it even easier to prep and enjoy this Crunchy Cabbage Salad. 

• If not using pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix, save time slicing or shredding cabbage by using a box grater
• Or, if you have a food processor, use the shredding and slicing blades for easy prep
• Start with pre-cooked shrimp and skip the baking altogether

Swaps and Variations

​Try these alternatives for even more options with this crunchy cabbage salad recipe:

• Instead of peanuts, try slivered almonds or sunflower seeds. You can also sprinkle sesame seeds on top before serving.
• Want more veggies? Try slicing a bell pepper or adding bean sprouts, water chestnuts, or sliced celery along with or instead of the listed ingredients
• If you’re like me and love the flavor of toasted sesame oil, use that in the dressing or drizzle lightly on top of the miso-peanut shrimp after cooking
• You can swap the lime juice for rice vinegar if no limes are available. Adjust the amount according to your taste preferences
• To balance the spice, try adding mandarin oranges (fresh or canned) 

I hope you enjoy the Crunchy Cabbage Salad recipe as much as we do! It’s such a helpful way to use leftover cabbage to avoid food waste.

As always, thanks for stopping by the Street Smart Nutrition Blog. Cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals and #SaladsThatDontSuck!