Wild Salmon with Vietnamese Cucumbers: Vietnamese Cucumbers

Name: Wild Salmon with Vietnamese Cucumbers: Vietnamese Cucumbers
Yield: Serves 8–10
Ingredients: Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam) or Thai fish sauce (nam pla); Basil sprigs; Salt and pepper; 4 large cucumbers; Thinly sliced scallions or sweet onion; Serranos or jalapeños or fresh Thai chiles; Mint sprigs; 2 or 3 limes; Palm sugar; A 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into fine julienne

Preparation info

Serves
8–10

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes

By David Tanis

Published 2008

About

This easy salad is more like a relish and can be made according to your own taste: very spicy, which is how I like it, or quite restrained. Its virtue is that it can refresh almost any dish. Look for palm sugar in Asian or Indian markets, or substitute Mexican piloncillo or raw brown sugar.

Ingredients

4 large cucumbers
Salt and pepper
Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam) or Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

Method

Peel the cucumbers, cut them lengthwise in half, and remove the seeds with a spoon if they are large. Slice the cucumbers into thickish half-moons and put them in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle lightly with fish sauce, then add the ginger and a couple of tablespoons of palm sugar. Toss well, and let the cucumbers sit for 5 minutes or so.

Add a good spoonful of finel