This is one of my favourite summer salads. It is colourful, textural and has such complex flavours. Salmon is not native to Vietnam, but has become very popular in the last few years. Most of the salmon served in Saigon comes from either Norway or Australia, although salmon is now being farmed in the northern mountains of Sapa, where low water temperatures are ideal for raising salmon.
Serves 4-6 as part of a shared meal
INGREDIENTS
200 g (7 oz) salmon fillet, skin and bones removed
150 g (51/ 2 oz/1/ 2 cup) Pickled vegetables
1 handful watercress sprigs
5 perilla leaves, roughly sliced
5 mint leaves, roughly sliced
5 Vietnamese mint leaves, roughly sliced
1 teaspoon Fried garlic chips (see Basics, page 357)
3 tablespoons Nuoc mam cham dipping sauce (see Basics, page 358)
1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon Fried red Asian shallots (see Basics, page 357)
1 red bird’s eye chilli, sliced
Salmon marinade
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
11/ 2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 red bird’s eye chilli, sliced
METHOD
1 Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the salmon and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes.
2 Chargrill the salmon over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until medium rare, making sure it is well coloured on the outside. Remove from the heat and allow the salmon to rest for 5 minutes.
3 Flake the salmon flesh into a bowl, removing any small bones. Add the pickled vegetables, watercress, herbs, garlic chips and dipping sauce. Mix together well, then turn out onto a serving platter.
4 Garnish with the peanuts, fried shallots and chilli and serve.
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