Party Food - Thai Salmon Salad Recipe by Rinku Bhattacharya

Name: Thai Salmon Salad Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 28 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 lb (680 g) wild salmon fillets; 3 to 4 kafir lime leaves, torn; 1 and 1/2 tbsp (22 ml) fish sauce; 2 tbsp (30 ml) rice wine; 1/2 cup (120 ml) water; 1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger; 4 to 5 tbsp (60–75 ml) mayonnaise; 1 tbsp (15 ml) peanut butter; 4 tbsp red onion, very finely chopped; 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1/2 fresh lime; 1 small fresh, thinly sliced cucumber; 1 fresh whole grain baguette; Olive oil for dusting

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The weekend cooking is now a big deal, earlier the kids used want to try out different restaurants which they still like doing, but they have morphed in to this mode where they want me to make different things for them. All this is well and good, but there is still a marked difference between their flavor palates and my husband’s.

I realize that this is not an uncommon dilemma, in that different members of the household tend to like different food preferences. My friend Susan is mostly vegetarian with a meat loving husband, JL here, who is a passionate and committed vegan has an omnivore husband. We have worked out the meat versus non-meat issues in our household. We tend to agree on fish and seafood and some chicken, on occasion I do like lamb, very rarely though.

Speaking of fish and seafood, one of the pantry staples or should I say refrigerator staples is wild salmon, usually the sockeye variety. Although this week, I had some frozen silver brite salmon. I am trying to wind down the frozen fish supplies since, I have finally found a fish supplier near us that I am happy with.

Once, I had identified the main dish, so to speak, I was trying to figure out a way to cook it that would work for all of us. I tried poaching it with classic Thai seasonings and continuing the theme of ingredients to arrive at a moist and flavorful salad.

The red pepper flakes were tossed in at the end for us. The kids had their as regular whole grain sandwiches and we had them as open sandwich, over slightly warmed whole grain baguette slices from my favorite local bread maker.

This recipe fits beautifully on any dinner table, and adds a touch of soothing brightness with its soft colors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the salmon poached rather than pan-fried or grilled?

The article explains the author poached the salmon with Thai seasonings — kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, rice wine, and ginger — to produce a moist, flavorful salad that worked for everyone in the family. Poaching in ½ cup (120 ml) water over medium heat for 7-8 minutes produces salmon that flakes easily for mixing with mayonnaise.

What are kaffir lime leaves and can I leave them out?

Kaffir lime leaves are aromatic leaves from the kaffir lime tree with a floral, citrusy flavor essential to Thai cooking. The recipe uses 3-4 torn leaves to flavor the poaching liquid. You can omit them if unavailable, substituting a strip or two of regular lime zest, though the flavor will be less complex.

How does serving differ between kids and adults?

The article says the kids had the salmon salad tucked into whole grain sandwiches (without the red pepper flakes), while the adults had it as an open sandwich over slightly warmed whole grain baguette slices, with red pepper flakes added at the end.