Papaya Prawn Salad with Nuoc Nam Chan dressing and Papaya Aioli 

Papaya Prawn salad w papaya aioli and papaya salsa.jpg

Recipe courtesy of Nourishing Nosh

This is a decadent delicious salad, perfect for a weekend lunch with friends.   The aioli can be made in advance and pairs beautifully with chicken and seafood. 

Salad 

Serves 2  

10 large Tiger Prawns, peeled, tails on 

1 cup shredded Purple Cabbage 

1 large carrot, grated on an Asian Grater 

1 cup plucked Mint leaves 

1 cup plucked Coriander leaves 

½ Red Capsicum, finely sliced (or ½ punnet grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthways.) 

¼ Spanish Onion, finely sliced 

½ Papaya (500g) shave about 10 slivers, dice remainder 

1 cucumber, diced 

½ Avocado, diced 

Optional: 1 cup (50g dry) cooked, cooled, mung bean vermicelli, cut  

 

Dressing (Nuoc Nam Chan) 

1 clove garlic finely chopped 

1 long red chilli, seeded & chopped 

1 - 2 teaspoons light palm sugar 

¼ cup Lime Juice 

¼ cup Fish sauce 

 

Red Papaya Aioli 

3 very fresh fresh organic egg yolks 

1 long red chilli, deseeded, roughly chopped 

Zest of 2 limes 

40 - 80ml Lime Juice 

100ml cooked reduced papaya* (cooled) 

100ml Grapeseed oil 

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes 

 

Method 

For the Papaya Reduction 

Cut the papaya in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. 

Peel the papaya and puree it in a food processor. 

Weigh a large saucepan and record its weight. 

Transfer the papaya to the saucepan and weigh it. Record the weight of the Papaya 

Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the papaya has reduced by over half (~45 minutes). 1kg fresh papaya will yield around 450g reduced. 

For the aioli 

Place egg yolks, chilli, 40ml lime juice and zest in a food processor and process until creamy. You may need to scrape the sides of the food processor occasionally to incorporate all of the ingredients. 

Add the papaya reduction.  Mix again. 

With the motor running, drizzle in the grapeseed oil, a teaspoon at a time to start with, then in a slow continuous drizzle. 

Once thick and creamy, season with salt and pepper. 

Taste and add more lime juice as desired.  Store in the fridge in a clean jar for up to 5 days. 

 

For the dressing 

In a mortar, pound together finely chopped garlic and chilli to a smooth paste.  

Add the sugar to increase the grinding action.  Stir in liquids and adjust to taste.  If prepping ahead, add lime juice just before serving.   

 

For the Salad 

Prepare the salad ingredients as per the list. 

Combine cabbage, carrot, herbs, capsicum, Spanish onion, cucumber and papaya cubes (and vermicelli if using) in a bowl and refrigerate until needed. 

Just before serving, add half of the dressing to the salad and toss gently to coat.  Add more dressing if needed. 

Divide the salad between 2 plates and top with the papaya slices, avocado and prawns. 

Add some dollops of papaya aioli and serve with extra dressing and aioli. Recipe courtesy of Nourishing Nosh