Thai-Inspired Prawn & Mango Salad

ON THE SALT

Every grain of salt in this dish is Lava Salt Smoked Nori Chilli Salt. The cold-smoke gives the prawns a barbecue depth without any extra char, the nori adds a quiet savoury sea note, and the chilli lifts it all. Season in layers: the prawns, the salad, then a final pinch just before it hits the table. Note the nam jim already carries salt from the fish sauce, so taste it before you add more.

Grilled tiger prawns, mango and cucumber ribbons, baby radish, sorrel and basil.Nam Jim dressing and Smoked Nori Chilli Salt

A light, fragrant and textural salad with warm, tropical flavours, made for a mid-week brunch.

Why I love this one

This is the kind of dish I come back to when I want food that feels generous but never heavy. The idea is simple: less is more. A handful of fresh ingredients, treated with respect, and a dressing that does the talking.

Sweet mango, cool cucumber and torn herbs sit under hot, smoky prawns, and the nam jim ties it together with that classic Thai balance of sweet, sour, salty and hot. Working with herbs is half the fun here. Mint, coriander, basil and baby sorrel each bring something different, and fresh really is fun.

The twist is the salt. I season everything with our Smoked Nori Chilli Salt, which adds a gentle smokiness and a hit of the sea that plays beautifully with the mango and the char on the prawns.

Ingredients

The salad

• 1 Lebanese cucumber, turned into ribbons
• 1 large semi-ripe mango, turned into ribbons
• Handful of mint leaves
• Handful of coriander leaves
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 2 spring onions, cut into thin julienne strips
• 1 large chilli, deseeded and finely diced
• Handful of fried shallots
• 40 g unsalted peanuts, toasted and crushed
• Smoked Nori Chilli Salt and pepper, to taste

The prawns

• 7 medium-large tiger prawns
• 2 tbsp chilli jam (ready-made is perfect)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• A pinch of Smoked Nori Chilli Salt

Nam jim dressing

• 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 small French shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced coriander roots
• 2 tbsp grated palm sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of half a lime

To finish

• 5 baby radishes, thinly sliced
• 5 baby sorrel leaves and 5 whole basil leaves
• A final pinch of Smoked Nori Chilli Salt

Method

1. Make the nam jim

Bruise. Using a mortar and pestle, gently pound the chilli, shallot, garlic and coriander roots. You want them bruised, not turned into a paste.

Dissolve. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Taste and adjust. It should be a good balance of sweet, sour, salty and hot. The dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.

2. Marinate and cook the prawns

Marinate. Toss the prawns with the chilli jam, sesame oil, lime juice and a pinch of Smoked Nori Chilli Salt.

Grill hot. Heat a barbecue hotplate, grill or pan until smoking hot. Cook the prawns for a couple of minutes, until they turn bright orange and pick up some char. Remove from the heat straight away.

3. Build the salad

Layer. Combine the cucumber and mango ribbons, mint, chilli, coriander, spring onion and lime zest and juice. Season lightly with Smoked Nori Chilli Salt and pepper.

Plate. Place the prawns over the bed of salad. Drizzle with nam jim, then scatter over the toasted peanuts and fried shallots.Garnish. Finish with sliced radish, baby sorrel and basil, a final pinch of salt, and a lime half on the side. Serve any leftover dressing in a bowl at the table.

A pinch of my Smoked Nori Chilli Lavasalt  ties it all together.

Watch the video below: