Thai Salad with Grilled Salmon and Herbs Recipe
A light, fresh salad with juicy salmon, crunchy vegetables and plenty of herbs. It’s the Thai answer to a European grilled fish salad – only with a pronounced accent of lime, fish sauce and chili. Perfect for a summer lunch or dinner when you want something healthy but full of flavor.
Thai “yam” salads are usually spicy, very citrusy, and treated more like a light main course than a starter. Fish versions often appear in the evenings at seaside street grills.
This salad combines a European way of serving salmon with a boldly citrusy Thai-style dressing. The herbs aren’t just a garnish but a full-fledged ingredient – every bite has a different accent: sometimes minty, sometimes coriander-forward, sometimes sharply limey. With simple ingredients and a single pan you can recreate the feel of Thai street food in just a few minutes.
Why this version works
- The salmon is grilled separately and added at the end, so it keeps its structure instead of falling apart in the salad.
- Removing the watery core from the cucumber keeps the dressing from getting diluted and losing flavor.
- Making the dressing separately lets you easily adjust the heat, saltiness, and sourness when you season at the end.
Chef's tips
Don’t toss the salmon together with the salad – place it on top and only gently combine it with the vegetables on the plates so it keeps nice, big flakes. If you’re worried about the heat, start with a single slice of deseeded chili and taste the dressing before adding more. If everything seems too sour, don’t add more salt – sprinkle in a little sugar instead, which balances the flavor better than salt alone.
How to serve
Serve in a large bowl in the center of the table with extra lime wedges so everyone can finish seasoning their own portion. It’s great with simple jasmine rice or a crusty baguette to mop up the remaining dressing from the plate. This makes a good opening dish for a Thai-style dinner before a curry or coconut soup.
Watch out for
- Don’t add lettuce that’s still wet – leftover water will dilute the dressing and make the leaves wilt faster.
- Don’t overcook the salmon; once the sides have turned opaque and the center is still slightly pink, take it off the pan or it will dry out.
- Don’t mix the salmon vigorously with the salad in the bowl, as the pieces will break up and the dish will lose its attractive look.
Substitutions
- Instead of salmon you can use rainbow trout or cod, shortening the cooking time for thinner fillets.
- If you don’t have fish sauce, use light soy sauce plus a pinch of salt – the flavor will be milder but still punchy.
- You can replace coriander with flat-leaf parsley and mint with basil if Asian herbs are hard to find.
Ingredients
- skinless salmon fillet - 400 g
- romaine lettuce or mixed salad leaves - 120 g
- cucumber - 1 piece
- carrot - 1 piece
- cherry tomatoes - 150 g
- fresh coriander - 3 tablespoons
- fresh mint - 2 tablespoons
- oil roślinny - 1 tablespoon
- salt - 0.5 teaspoons
- ground black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
- lime juice - 3 tablespoons
- fish sauce rybny - 1.5 tablespoons
- sugar trzcinowy lub biały - 1.5 teaspoons
- red chili pepper - 0.5 pieces
- garlic - 1 clove
Preparation
- Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and cut into 3–4 portions. Brush with oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature so the fish isn’t ice-cold.
- Tear the lettuce into smaller pieces, rinse in cold water and dry very thoroughly in a salad spinner or on towels. The leaves should feel dry to the touch so the dressing clings instead of running off.
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the wet, seedy center with a teaspoon, then slice the firmer part into thin half-moons. Peel the carrot and cut into thin matchsticks or grate on a coarse grater, and halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Roughly chop the coriander and mint, including the soft coriander stems. The herbs should form distinct leaves in the salad rather than a fine sprinkle, so every bite tastes herbal.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, finely chopped chili and pressed garlic. Stir until the sugar dissolves – the dressing should be intensely sour, salty and slightly sweet.
- Heat a dry grill pan or regular frying pan over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes, until your hand held above it clearly feels the heat. Place the salmon pieces in the pan and don’t move them for 3–4 minutes, until the bottom sets and lightly browns.
- Carefully flip the salmon and cook for another 2–3 minutes. The flesh should be opaque almost to the center and, when lightly pressed with a fork, start to flake while still staying juicy.
- Remove the salmon from the pan and rest for 2–3 minutes so the juices redistribute. Then divide it into large, irregular chunks with a fork, trying not to mash the meat.
- In a large bowl combine the lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tomatoes, coriander and mint. Pour over half of the dressing and very gently toss with your hands or large spoons until the leaves are thinly coated but not dripping.
- Arrange the salmon pieces on top. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, aiming mostly at the fish and vegetables rather than the bottom of the bowl. Serve at once, while the lettuce is crisp and the salmon is warm or just lukewarm.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I most often make this salad when I have a piece of grilled salmon left over from the day before – it just needs a quick reheat before tossing with fresh vegetables. I often add a handful of peanuts for extra crunch.
