Thai Yam Som-o

Pomelo Salad with Tequila-glazed Shrimp

A classic Thai salad with a Southwestern twist

During our travels over the years, we have had the opportunity to meet up with friends in locations around the world. When we were in Thailand, we spent time with our old friend Rolando, who was living in Bangkok at the time. This is not the first time we’ve hooked up with Rolando since he and his family are also global wanders: several years ago, we visited him at his family home in Tuscany, and he also met up with us recently in Cappadocia, Turkey. Our travelling experiences with Rolando always revolve around two common elements—grueling hikes (which he unfairly blames on my influence) and delicious food.

Our first night in Bangkok with Rolando and his family commenced with an Italian feast. After months in Asia, lasagna had never tasted so good. The next day, we rented bikes and saddled up both of our families for a ride through the orchards and canals near Amphawa, a town that is famous for its floating market. We stopped many times along the way to graze, sampling fresh fruit, street food, and sweet sticky rice. We even got to check out how palm sugar is made. Our ride culminated at the floating market, which was chocked full of exotic Thai delicacies. In a day full of culinary surprises, though, the highlight was the riverside restaurant where we had lunch.

Among the memorable dishes we sampled were crab fried rice, green curry with baby eggplant (we’d never seen eggplant so small—the size of tiny grapes), and gigantic river prawns. And then Rolando introduced us to his favorite Thai dish: Yam som-o, Thai pomelo salad. We had already seen pomelos on our bike trek—they were amazing gigantic grapefruit hanging from trees like piñatas—and we were curious to try them. But we were skeptical about having them in a savory salad. One bite told us that our wariness had been unfounded. The pomelo salad was so sweet and delicious it was almost obscene. Succulent fruit, coated in a tangy yet savory dressing, spiciness, playing off of fresh herbs—it was no wonder that it was Rolando’s favorite. Try this recipe and see if you agree. (Best served after a grueling hike.)

Ingredients:

• ½ lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Marinade

• 1/3 c. tequila
• 2 T. sugar (palm, coconut, or loosely packed light brown sugar)
• 1 t. coarsely ground black pepper

Salad

• 1 pomelo, the fruit should be broken into bite-sized chunks with as much of the white pith removed as possible
• ¼ c. diced red onion
• ½ c. diced cucumber, peeled
• ¼ c. diced sweet red pepper
• ¼ c. chopped cilantro leaves
• ¼ c. chopped mint leaves
• ¼ c. shredded coconut, toasted
• ¼ c. chopped, roasted peanuts

Dressing

• 2 T. sugar (palm, coconut, or loosely packed light brown sugar)
• 4 T. fish sauce
• Juice of 2 large limes
• 1 T. chili puree
• 2 cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Heat tequila and sugar in a small saucepan. Boil several minutes and then pour into a shallow dish to cool.

2. Add black pepper and shrimp to coat. Marinade for 10 min.

3. Skewer shrimp and cook over very high flame for 1-2 minutes per side. Do not overcook! Reserve.

4. Mix the dressing ingredients thoroughly in a bowl or jar.

5. In salad bowl, add pomelo, onion, cucumber, red pepper, cilantro leaves, and mint.

6. Add dressing and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 10-20 min.

7. Re-toss the salad. Serve over lettuce leaves. Sprinkle peanuts and coconut on top. Top with shrimp.