Khmer fish salad

A light fish salad, starring lots of crunchy vegetables and handfuls of fresh herbs.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 80 g snakehead fish or snapper fillet, finely sliced
• 25 g finely sliced white cabbage
• 25 g finely sliced purple cabbage
• 25 g finely sliced iceberg lettuce
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, finely shredded
• 80 g finely sliced green capsicum
• 1 carrot, finely shredded
• 2 red Asian shallots, finely sliced
• 2 snake beans, very finely sliced
• 1 small handful bean sprouts
• 1 small handful mint leaves
• 1 small handful Vietnamese mint leaves
• 1 small handful Thai basil leaves
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp fish sauce

Lime marinade

• 1 tsp coriander paste 
• pinch of sliced lemongrass, white part only
• 12 ml lime juice

Garnish

• roasted unsalted crushed peanuts
• sliced red chillies

Curing time 10 minutes

Instructions

Combine the lime marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl with a pinch of sea salt. Stir until the salt has dissolved.

Add the fish and leave to cure for 10 minutes. Squeeze all the lime marinade out of the fish and reserve.

Combine all the vegetables, bean sprouts and herbs in a large salad bowl.

Add the fish to the salad, along with the sugar, fish sauce and 60ml of the reserved lime marinade, and mix well. Garnish with the peanuts and chillies and serve.

Note

• To make the coriander paste, combine 1 tablespoon of chopped red Asian shallots in a mortar or small food processor with 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh galangal, and 1 small handful of chopped coriander (cilantro). Pound or process until a paste forms. Transfer to a screw-top jar and store in the refrigerator. The mixture will keep for up to 4 days.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.