Vietnamese green mango salad (gỏi xoài tôm)

RECIPE

May 12, 2023

Refreshing green mango salad. I like mine with herbs (coriander, mint, Thai basil), lightly tossed in a fish sauce dressing (heavy on lime and chilli) then topped with prawns, crushed peanuts, and fried onions for a little crunch also served with Thai prawn crackers. Perfect for a lunchtime treat!

Serves 2, or 4 as starters.

INGREDIENTS

For the salad:

2 medium green, hard mangoes

150g of cooked and peeled large king prawns

Small handful of chopped mixed herbs like coriander, mint and Thai basil (choose the herbs you like)

For the dressing:

1 garlic clove

1 red bird’s eye chilli (use less and remove the seeds if you prefer less heat)

3 tbsp of caster sugar or 1.5 tbsp of good-quality honey

4 tbsp of fish sauce

Juice of one lime

To serve:

1 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts (optional)

1 tbsp shop-bought crispy fried onions

Prawn crackers (optional)

METHOD

Peel the mangoes and then use a julienne peeler (or knife) to cut the mango into thin strips.
Grind the garlic, chilli, and sugar in a pestle and mortar (or blitz in a small food processor/chopper, or finely chop). Place in a bowl then add the fish sauce, lime juice and give a good stir. Adjust to your taste.
When you are ready to serve, in a large bowl, add the chopped mixed herbs to the shredded mango, add about four tablespoons of the dressing and lightly toss. Taste and add more dressing if needed.
Divide on serving plates. Place the prawns on the salad, top with crushed peanuts and fried crispy shallots, and serve immediately.

TIP

I use Louisa’s Honey, either lime or coriander flavour, in my dressing as the quality is simply superb (www.louisas-honey.com). My mother and aunts serve their salads with prawn crackers so I like to fry a handful to accompany this dish. However, this is optional. I prefer Thai prawn crackers for their strong flavour. To make the prawn crackers, heat oil in a small saucepan to 180C. Deep fry three dried discs in the oil and remove once they puff up. Drain the prawn crackers on paper towels.

Once shredded, the mango will keep in the fridge undressed for about a day. The salad is best eaten on the day to retain the mango’s freshness and texture.

Thuy Cooks

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