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    Home » Appetizers

    Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)

    Published 06/23/2019. Updated 06/25/2019

    Jump to Recipe

    This simple and refreshing Korean shrimp salad is packed with flavors and heat! It’s an easy recipe that’s perfect as an elegant starter, side dish or light meal!

    DSC 4558 2 e1561402559982 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)

    Here’s another great Korean-style salad recipe! It’s a shrimp salad with a hot mustard (gyeoja) dressing (겨자소스), which is a classic Korean sauce. As mentioned in the chicken salad post, this type of cold salad dish is called naengchae in Korean, so the Korean name of this dish is saewu naengchae (새우냉채) or saewu gyeoja naengchae (새우겨자냉채). The simple and refreshing dish is perfect as an elegant starter, side dish or light meal!

    The shrimp 

    For this salad, any size of shrimp works. I typically use 21 to 25 count, but smaller ones are fine too. To stack the ingredients up as seen in the first photo, I cut the shrimp in half lengthwise by cutting along the back all the way through. It’s up to you whether to leave the tails on.

    I poached the shrimp in a simple salt and lemon water. You can, of course, use your favorite way to poach them for cocktail shrimp. If you want, buy good quality peeled and deveined cooked shrimp to make it even quicker and easier.

    Vegetables for shrimp salad

    I typically pair the shrimp with cucumber and Korean pear slices for this salad. Korean pears are sweet, juicy and crunchy, making it perfect for salads. You can use apple slices instead if Korean/Asian pears are unavailable. Colorful bell peppers are also great additions.

    For the presentation, I sometimes stack the thinly sliced salad ingredients, especially for individual or small servings, but you can arrange them on a plate anyway you want. When I use bell peppers, I julienne the fruit and vegetables and arrange them by color with the shrimp on top.

    Here, I’m showing you two different ways to serve this Korean shrimp salad. However, feel free to use your creativity to make your own beautiful plate. You can easily double this recipe for a potluck or dinner party.

    DSC 4524 4 e1561401518449 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)

    How to make hot mustard dressing (gyeoja sauce)

    The hot mustard (gyeoja), also known as spicy yellow mustard, adds flavorful heat to this salad. When first mixed, the heat can be intense, but it gradually dissipates over time. You can use a powder version (gyeojabun, 겨자분, or gyeoja garu, 겨자가루) or a paste version (called yeongyeoja, 연겨자) sold in a tube for this recipe. Although not traditional, you can use yellow or dijon mustard if you like.

    Making the dressing is simple! Combine the ingredients and whisk together until smooth. You can serve the dressing drizzled over the salad or on the side.

    DSC 4540 e1561348518932 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)

    More Korean cold salad recipe

    Chicken salad (dak naengchae)

    DSC 4565 e1561428495810 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)

    For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow  along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

     

    DSC 4565 e1561428495810 300x300 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)

    Korean Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing

    4.84 from 6 votes
    Appetizer
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Print Recipe

    Equipment

    • This simple and refreshing salad is packed with flavors and heat! Perfect as an elegant starter, a side dish or a light meal!

    Ingredients

    Hot mustard dressing:

    • 2 teaspoons hot mustard powder (gyeoja, 겨자) If using prepared paste, use 1 tablespoon and add 1 tablespoon water to thin it.
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    Vegetables:

    • 2 Kirby (pickling) cucumbers (or 1 Korean cucumber)
    • 1/2 Korean pear
    • radish sprouts for garnish optional
    • 1/4 lemon
    • Optional vegetables:
    • 1/4 red bell pepper
    • 1/4 orange bell pepper

    Shrimp

    • 10 large shrimp 21-25 counts, shelled and deveined (more if using smaller shrimp)
    • 1/4 lemon
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Mix the mustard with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate while preparing the other ingredients.
      DSC 4816 1 640x427 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)
    • Cut the cucumbers and pear into thin slices
      DSC 4788 640x427 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)
    • OR if using optional bell peppers, julienne the fruit and vegetables.
      DSC 4469 640x427 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)
    • Have a bowl of ice water ready near the stove top. Bring a small pot of water (4 cupto a gentle boil over medium heat. Add salt, lemon and shrimp and simmer uncovered until the shrimp turn opaque and curl, about 40 seconds. Remove immediately and plunge them into the ice water to stop cooking and chill. Drain.
      DSC 4458 640x427 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)
    • Remove immediately and plunge them into the ice water to stop cooking and chill. Drain. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise, if desired.
      DSC 4463 640x427 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)
    • Nicely arrange the cucumber, pear and shrimp (or optional julienned vegetables and pear) on a plate. Spoon the dressing over, or serve it on the side. Garnish with optional radish sprouts and/or lemon.
      DSC 4822 640x427 - Shrimp Salad with Hot Mustard Dressing (Saewu Naengchae)
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lori says

      July 31, 2022 at 2:45 pm

      5 stars
      Very nice! The soy sauce and garlic in this recipe makes for a more flavorful sauce/dressing vs. recipes that just mix the mustard with sugar, salt, and vinegar. Wondering if adding ginger would be overkill…

      Reply
    2. Omega says

      May 03, 2015 at 1:12 pm

      Is this hot mustard dressing the same one use in many restaurants for naengmyeong?

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        May 03, 2015 at 4:39 pm

        It uses the same hot mustard called gyeoja, which is used for naengmyeon. But, for this salad dressing, the hot mustard is mixed with other ingredients. For naengmyeon, it’s just the hot mustard.

        Reply
    3. Anonymous says

      March 28, 2012 at 2:32 am

      nice idea..thanks for sharing....

      Reply
    4. Yo. says

      December 05, 2010 at 1:02 pm

      This sounds very yummy and looks very pretty!

      http://www.aboutfoood.blogspot.com

      Reply
    5. thehungryartist says

      November 02, 2010 at 7:19 pm

      Gorgeous salad! I have to make this — such a great combination of flavors and textures.

      Are Korean pears similar to Asian pears? The big yellow ones with coarse, thick skin (you always peel it), having a flavor of a pear and an apple?

      Reply
    6. Sandra says

      October 21, 2010 at 11:53 pm

      Amazing…photos, presentation, whole recipe looks delicious!

      Reply
    7. denise @ quickies on the dinner table says

      October 21, 2010 at 2:31 am

      The flavors rock and the presentation is restaurant worthy beautiful! I really, really like this Hyosun!!

      Reply
    8. A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says

      October 20, 2010 at 12:36 am

      Gorgeous! It’s lovely and so healthy!

      Reply
    9. meltingbutter.com says

      October 19, 2010 at 9:24 pm

      yumm! I love your blog, thanks for sharing this! I love Korean food 🙂

      Reply
    10. Johanna says

      October 19, 2010 at 8:38 pm

      Beautiful! I can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
    11. Cuisine by Emme Ribeiro says

      October 19, 2010 at 7:15 pm

      This looks beautiful and delicious!

      Reply
    12. Marta´s Kitchen says

      October 19, 2010 at 3:38 pm

      I love the presentation! Lovely idea!

      Reply
    13. Linn @ Swedish Home Cooking says

      October 19, 2010 at 2:52 pm

      Korean food is one of my favorite cuisines. That is also the reason why I’m always choosing Korean air if I’m gonna fly somewhere – they have the best food of all airlines! In coach at least. 😉

      Reply
    14. Cristina @ TeenieCakes says

      October 19, 2010 at 6:15 am

      Wow! What a beautiful array of flavors and presentation!

      Reply
    15. Judy says

      October 19, 2010 at 4:16 am

      Wow! This looks amazingly delicious. What beatufitul presentation. 🙂

      Reply
    16. Hyosun Ro says

      October 19, 2010 at 2:30 am

      Thank you, Roxan. I had fun improvising here, but as you might know, typically this type of dish is presented more like the way shown in the smaller picture.

      Reply
    17. roxan says

      October 19, 2010 at 1:48 am

      Wow this is so pretty… I’ve never seen korean food presented so beautifully!

      Reply
    18. Hyosun Ro says

      October 19, 2010 at 1:19 am

      Michelle, erica, Jeroxie, and Fun and Fearless – Thank you so much for the nice words.

      Lisa – I love jelly fish salad too and usually make it for special occasions. Here I just wanted to make something simple with what I had. Thank you!

      Reply
    19. ~Lisa~ says

      October 18, 2010 at 10:54 pm

      What a fun and inventive twist on this dish. What about some jelly fish, mmmm! Lovely dish and presentation.

      Reply
    20. Fun and Fearless in Beantown says

      October 18, 2010 at 1:30 pm

      This is such a beautiful dish! I’m loving the use of Korean ingredients!

      Reply
    21. penny aka jeroxie says

      October 18, 2010 at 4:42 am

      Great summer dish. So refreshing and I love prawns.

      Reply
    22. erica says

      October 18, 2010 at 3:56 am

      Beautiful presentation! I love the stacked salad idea! 🙂

      Reply
    23. Michelle says

      October 18, 2010 at 3:12 am

      the picture looks so pretty!

      Reply
    4.84 from 6 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

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