Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp

Green papayas are big and solid-- a foot long. They're not like sweet breakfast papayas. When you cut one open, they're filled with little white seeds of the weight and density of styrofoam peanuts. They get everywhere!

I peeled, seeded, and julienned the firm green flesh.

To the ~ 6 cups of matchstick-sized green papaya, I added 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic, 2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves, and 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves. This mixture can sit in the fridge for a week and still be good! I served it with sauteed shrimp and a handful of chopped dry roasted peanuts. This recipe is adapted from Bobby Flay's, found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/green-papaya-salad-recipe/index.html This recipe is delicious, and I plan on using it again and again. I can't wait to prepare this dish for a potluck.