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Hot Smoked Salmon & Thai Green Mango Salad

method

1. Prepare dressing components. De-seed chilli and cut into large chunks. Peel and slice garlic. Clean and remove small brown side roots from coriander root. Squeeze limes to yield 100ml. Shave palm sugar.
2. Place prepared ingredients with fish sauce in jug. Using stick blender, whiz to combine. Check for seasoning and adjust to taste for a sweet, salty sour balance.
3. Prepare salad. Peel mango/papaya and run through mandolin to form julienne strips (or cut into 2mm thick slices then 2mm thin strips using a knife). Place in large bowl.
4. De-seed chilli and slice thinly.
5. Shred kaffir lime leaves, discarding central vein.
6. Very finely chop white part of lemongrass to yield about ¼ cup.
7. Peel and finely slice shallots.
8. Add all prepared components to bowl and toss well.
9. Wash coriander and mint and dry well. Pick leaves from stalks and add to salad.
10. Flake fish and gently toss with salad components and dressing so as not to bruise leaves.
11. Serve at once piled on individual serving plates with salmon caviar scattered over the top.

cooks notes

• To adjust flavour balance in dressing fish sauce increases saltiness, lime juice sourness and palm sugar sweetness.
• Use green mango or green papaya in this salad, whichever is available (Paw Paw is another name for papaya). If not available use tart green apples and peeled de-seeded cucumber 50/50.
• Hot-smoked salmon can be interchanged with hot-smoked ocean trout.
• Hot-smoking is the method of smoking using heat and smoke, so fish is cooked; cold smoking doesn’t include heat so flavour is infused but item not cooked.
• To pre-prepare this dish, refrigerate all prepared salad components in separate piles on covered tray in fridge and toss together with pre-made dressing just before serving.
• Dressing can be pre-prepared up to 4 hours in advance to maintain the freshness of the lime juice. Store in fridge or at room temperature.
• Yarra Valley Salmon Caviar can be purchased fresh or frozen in specialty food stores and fish mongers.