This shrimp salad with cucumber and Korean pear is lightly dressed with a hot mustard (gyeoja) sauce, which is a classic Korean salad dressing. The hot mustard gives a flavorful, spicy kick to the salad. I used hot mustard powder in this recipe, but you can use gyeoja paste in a tube (yeongyeoja). I stacked the salad ingredients for presentation, but you can arrange them on a plate anyway you want. This crisp and refreshing salad can be an elegant starter or a light meal on a hot summer day! 

Mix the mustard with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and mix well. Let it sit while preparing the other ingredients.

Cut the cucumbers and pear into thin slices. Refrigerate while preparing the shrimp.

Have a bowl of ice water ready near the stove top. Bring a small pot of water (4 cups) to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add lemon, salt, 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. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise. You can prepare the shrimp in advance and refrigerate to cool.

Nicely arrange the cucumber, pear and shrimp on a plate and spoon the dressing over. Garnish with optional radish sprouts.

For more recipes visit www.koreanbapsang.com.

By Ro Hyo-sun