Sticky prawns and cured salmon with fragrant vegetables and crispy shallots
Cured salmon, sticky prawns and a fragrant Asian salad on the side – a perfect dish for warmer weather.
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 1 tbsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 300g/10½oz sushi grade salmon
For the salad
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, core removed, thinly sliced
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch Thai basil, finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
- 2 limes, juice only
- 2 green chillies, thinly sliced
- 1 banana shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 25g/1oz palm sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
For the crispy shallots
- 3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú plain flour
- salt
For the prawns
Method
To make the salmon, sprinkle the salmon flesh with the salt and sugar and coat well. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.
To make the salad, mix the cucumber, fennel, spring onions and herbs together in a bowl. Mix together the lime juice, chillies, shallots, fish sauce, palm sugar and garlic in a small bowl. Add the dressing to the vegetables and herbs and mix well.
Slice the salmon thinly and place on a large plate. Top with the salad making sure it is well coated with dressing. Leave to marinate.
To make the crispy shallots, sprinkle some salt over the shallots and set aside for 30 minutes.
Fill a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the oil. Heat to 180C (a cube of bread should turn brown in one minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.
Season the flour with salt and squeeze the shallots to remove excess liquid. Dust the shallots in the seasoned flour then deep-fry until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
To make the prawns, heat the oil in a frying pan until hot, add the prawns and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until pink and cooked through. Remove the prawns from the pan and set them aside. Add the red onion, chilli and garlic to the pan and stir-fry over a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the prawns back into the pan then stir in the honey, soy sauce and lime juice. Remove from the heat.
To serve, top the salmon salad with the prawns and sprinkle the crispy shallots over the top.