POMELO AND THAI HERBS SALAD
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THE EXPERIENCE IS BETWEEN EATING A SALAD AND DRINKING A COLD GLASS OF GATORADE
I don’t eat salads.
I think that’s quite self-evident on this blog. But even a non-salader like me feels a tinge of excitements as pomelo season approaches, the citrus giant with enormous and voluptuous pulps that burst with sweet, floral and faintly bitter juices resembling a lemony grapefruit. For the record, I’m not a fan of grapefruit, which is why I’m not particularly excited about pomelo’s potential as a stand-alone fruit course. But what gets my buzz going is its potential to be a fantastic savory treat.
Pomelo is rarely too sweet, and it carries an uniquely floral and bitter note that blends wonderfully with other more robust or rich-tasting ingredients that seek a refreshing medium. Take herbs salad for example, flavorfully too sharp and aggressive most of the times to be a dish on its own, but together with pomelo, it becomes a juicy and rounded symphony tapping on all the right notes in a cascading, orchestrated tempo. First thing that hits the senses is the pungent saltiness of the fish sauce and shallots anointed with olive oil, which escalates along the individually distinctive sharp bites from the assorted fresh herbs, too sharp, almost, if it isn’t immediately awash with sweet and quenching juices with the rupture of each pomelo pulps. The experience is a marriage between eating a salad and drinking a cold glass of gatorade.
A refreshing and guilt-free lunch on an overheated autumn day, but I know that it cries to be an equal partner alongside heavy and rich pre-winter dishes like roast pork belly or braised short ribs. And next year, you’ll be counting the days for its arrival.
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp pomelo zest
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- A couple turns of black pepper
- 1 1/2 heaping cup pomelo, hand-torn into small pieces
- 1 small handful fresh mint leaves
- 1 small handful fresh Thai basil leaves
- 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
- 1~2 small red chilis, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine fish sauce, pomelo zest, lemon juice, sugar and ground black pepper in a bowl, and let sit while you peel the pomelo.
- There is a few ways to peel pomelo, but here is one that keeps the pulps completely unbroken and intact as they should be. Score the pomelo skin in a cross shape all around, then peel the skin away, then gently break the pomelo in half like breaking an orange. You'll notice that each segments of flesh are encased inside thick membranes. Insert your knife right between the membrane and the flesh (without breaking the flesh), and score it open like opening a letter with a letter opener. then peel the membrane away to expose the flesh. Now you can peel way the flesh in large chunks. Repeat this process until you've got all the flesh out.
- Hand-torn the pomelo into bite-size pieces, then set inside a large bowl along with fresh mint, Thai basil, thinly sliced shallots, cilantro and red chilis. Add the olive oil (I like to coat the salad with olive oil first because I feel that it prevents the salad from wilting too fast), and toss to coat evenly. Now add the dressing (You MAY NOT need all of the dressing, so add 1 tsp at a time and taste as you go), and toss to combine. Serve immediately, which is fantastic as a refreshing side dish to heavier meat courses.
Nasreen
October 10, 2017 at 10:44 PMI recently tried pomelos and I was surprised with how much I liked them! Will add this to my to make list.
Alex
October 10, 2017 at 10:55 PMI adore the flavor of pomelos too, and they are just gorgeous! This dressing is definitely one to bookmark :)
Francine
October 11, 2017 at 7:56 AMYou never cease to amaze me and introduce me to new flavours. I had pomelos before but never thought of using them in Thai dressing salads. Chapeau! (French word for, “well done”.) I bet that your delicious, “sourdough made with yogourt homemade bread” would be a nice complement to this salad. Cheers.
nvrm
October 13, 2017 at 2:28 AMI haven’t cooked any of your recipes yet and not sure I will, even though I’ve been reading your blog for a year or so. But the way you write – just amazing, it’s a masterpiece in its own right, even without the food itself. I could print out the first three passages of this entry and stick them to the wall, it’s like poetry, and you’re amazing.
mandy@ladyandpups
October 13, 2017 at 12:12 PMNvrm, aww thank you! It means a lot :)
Asha
October 13, 2017 at 12:59 PMIs the recipe enough for two diners, or is it intended for a single serving? Thank!
mandy@ladyandpups
October 13, 2017 at 1:19 PMAsha, it should be main course for one, or salad course for two :)
francescabianca
October 13, 2017 at 10:14 PMHi Mandy! I cooked a special dinner for the birthday of my boyfriend a few evenings ago, and I used two of your recipes: the potato aioli and the focaccia di Recco, for which I used stracchino because I’m lucky enough to live in Europe and know where to find it! Both came out great!
Another recipe, from a cookbook this one, had pomelo in it. I needed the flesh and to obtain it I cut the pomelo in half and then went with a small sharp knife between membrane and membrane. I find this a quite easy and weirdly satisfying way to get the flesh!
Cheers,
Francesca
translate from Spanish to English
October 23, 2017 at 3:47 PMA refreshing lunch for an autumn day!
Lay
October 31, 2017 at 9:44 PMBought a pomelo specially for this recipe! Although it is winter here but nevertheless love this cold summer dish on the table! Love the tangy refreshing taste. Thank you Mandy.
mandy@ladyandpups
November 1, 2017 at 11:45 AMLay, glad you liked it!
Alan Spedding (Cumbriafoodie)
November 8, 2017 at 6:30 PMThis is a variation of a Thai fave salad of mine called “Yam Som O” (Thai Pomelo salad)…. The flavours are amazing. I`ve just got 2 Pomelos to make it after seeing this wonderful variation.
Goes wonderfully well with the traditional sauce (Coconut cream / Palm sugar / Fish sauce / Lime juice / Roasted chilli paste)
Vertical garden planters
November 24, 2017 at 11:06 AMI know that it cries to be an equal partner alongside heavy and rich pre-winter dishes like roast pork belly or braised short ribs.
surveillancekart
December 11, 2017 at 2:16 PMVery nice recipe and very healthy.
Cathy
December 25, 2017 at 4:02 AMI find it very delightful that I came across this recipe today. I’ve had a love affair with Pomelos since I came across them while on our way to Reno. There was this little fruit stand that I begged my husband to stop at, “just one more, please” that had three different varieties of these wonderful fruits. I bought two at trader joes the other day but yuk! Then my fruit stand had some that they assured me was delicious. They’ve just hit our central coast at market. Can’t wait to try this recipe instead of just pulling it apart with my teeth!
jenny
April 17, 2019 at 2:17 PMThis is good for me
Kimberly V. Cutler
May 23, 2019 at 6:27 PMI appreciate your blog.This is the first time i am visiting to your post.really it’s so intersresting to read.Please keep up writing. Thanx for sharing.