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I mentioned this dish a few months ago and marsupial reminded me to post the recipe. I wanted to wait until grapefruit season to do so. This is a slightly modified version of a recipe we found in one of our Thai cookbooks. It was quite a while before we got around to trying the recipe because at first glance it seems like an odd mix of flavors. To our surprise, it was a huge hit. In fact, it may well be the favorite dish at our house. Fabulous mix of flavors: sweet, sour, salty, spicy. It takes a little prep, but well worth it.
Thai Grapefruit Salad
2 C bite-sized chunks of peeled grapefruit
1/4 C shredded coconut
3 T crushed salted roasted peanuts
1/2 C chopped fresh mint
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
2 T fish sauce
1 T sugar
1 T finely chopped shallots
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
Peel the grapefruit and put into a bowl. You can cut out the sections with a knife if you like, but the big red grapefruit that are fairly easy to peel work best. Toast the coconut until lightly brown and a little crispy in small pan on medium heat and set aside in a bowl. Crush the peanuts and set aside. Chop the mint and set aside. Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, shallots, and chile flakes in a bowl. Use small bowls or cups for serving the salad. Just prior to serving, drain off the excess juice from the grapefruit and pour in the lime juice mixture and chopped mint and stir well. Scoop into bowls/cups and sprinkle the toasted coconut and crushed nuts over the top.
We find that the timing is important. Get everything ready and do the last bit of mixing right before you eat the salad. If you mix it too soon, the mint goes limp and the coconut and peanuts get soggy.
The quantities shown above make about four servings.
Thai Grapefruit Salad
2 C bite-sized chunks of peeled grapefruit
1/4 C shredded coconut
3 T crushed salted roasted peanuts
1/2 C chopped fresh mint
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
2 T fish sauce
1 T sugar
1 T finely chopped shallots
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
Peel the grapefruit and put into a bowl. You can cut out the sections with a knife if you like, but the big red grapefruit that are fairly easy to peel work best. Toast the coconut until lightly brown and a little crispy in small pan on medium heat and set aside in a bowl. Crush the peanuts and set aside. Chop the mint and set aside. Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, shallots, and chile flakes in a bowl. Use small bowls or cups for serving the salad. Just prior to serving, drain off the excess juice from the grapefruit and pour in the lime juice mixture and chopped mint and stir well. Scoop into bowls/cups and sprinkle the toasted coconut and crushed nuts over the top.
We find that the timing is important. Get everything ready and do the last bit of mixing right before you eat the salad. If you mix it too soon, the mint goes limp and the coconut and peanuts get soggy.
The quantities shown above make about four servings.
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