This seasonal salad uses spring or “baby” carrots – a tender, miniature variety sold with greens attached. You can sub in any fresh, whole carrots cut in 10cm to 12cm lengths.
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Ingredients for the Cucumber Salad
- 3/4 cups rice-wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Japanese or English cucumbers, sliced thin
- 1 large shallot, sliced thin
- 1 Thai chilli, sliced thin
- 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the Carrot Mixture
- 450g baby carrots (10cm to 12cm long), trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 450g prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 1 1/2 cups sourdough croutons
- 2 cups loosely packed coriander
- Black sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
To make the cucumber salad, combine vinegar and honey in a pot. Warm over medium-low heat (stir occasionally), for 5 minutes, or until honey dissolves. Cool in fridge. In a large bowl, add cucumbers, shallot, chilli, ginger, salt and cooled honey-vinegar. Toss well. Set aside. To prepare carrots, fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add carrots. Cook 4 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain carrots and cool 3 minutes in the ice water. Drain again. Set carrots aside in the large bowl. In another bowl, toss prawns with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cayenne. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add prawns. Cook 3 minutes per side, or until fully cooked. Place prawns in the carrot bowl. Add cucumber salad, along with 2 tablespoons salad juice, avocados, croutons, remaining tablespoon oil and coriander. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with sesames. Serves 6.
Kilojoules Per Serving: 1400
Carbs: 43g
Fibre: 7g
Protein: 13g
Fat: 14g
Gregory Gourdet, 38, executive chef of Departure, in Portland, U.S., started running in 2007. After knocking off seven marathons and a couple ultras in five years, he wanted a bigger challenge. So last spring he ran three ultras in three months – a feat he’ll repeat again next year. “With a career that involves hours in a windowless kitchen, running in the woods for six to 30 hours is the only way to balance it.” See departureportland.com.
