Sweet, citrus-y pomelos are paired with the spicy heat of the tiny Thai bird chile and a Thai fish sauce dip in this winter inspired pomelo salad.
Thai Pomelo salad is sweet, savory, and refreshing. The addition of toasted chopped peanuts adds crunch and texture to the dish.
This salad would pair nicely alongside some Thai curry mussels, basil chicken, or some French alpine wine.
What are Pomelos?
Pomelos, sometimes spelled pummelos, are a winter citrus fruit. Unlike oranges, they are a bit more difficult to find year round.
I find them seasonally in the farmers market when blood oranges and cara cara oranges are on display in the rainy winter months.
Similar to the sweet and sour flavors of a grapefruit, the flavor of pomelos is more muted, less bitter, and not as drippy and wet.
The pulp stays perfectly contained within each tiny pulp pod making it an ideal ingredient for presentation purposes.
Thai pomelos are sold on a street in Bangkok, Thailand. Pre-peeled wedges of fruit are also conveniently sold prepackaged on styrofoam trays for 25 Thai baht (about 80 cents US).
Perhaps the most difficult part of this recipe is peeling the fruit. In Thailand, they often sell pomelo on the street pre-cut, peeled, and packaged on styrofoam trays (as pictured above).
In order to peel your own pomelos, it is a matter of getting your fingers within the white skin membrane and hand tearing away.
Knife work will only go so far and merely segmenting with a paring knife will not do.
Time to put those fingers to work to gently peel away the connective membrane to unveil the rosy pink pulp inside.
You will end up with some intact wedges and some chunks of flesh, either of which works for this salad.
Key Ingredients
The dressing for this Thai pomelo salad is the ubiquitous fish sauce dip, used on many Thai dishes, with a combination of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and fresh chopped chili.
Top with fresh torn mint leaves and chopped peanuts for color contrast and crunch.
Since pomelos are so refreshing, this would make a palate-cleansing first course, before moving on to the next richly flavored one.
How to make Thai Pomelo Salad
Step 1: Make dressing & chop garnishes
Slice the shallots and chili and squeeze your fresh lime.
Whisk together the fish sauce, honey, water, chili, shallot, and lime juice in a bowl and set aside.
The dressing will keep for days and also works very nicely as a dip for fresh spring rolls or fried egg rolls.
Before your hands get messy from the pomelo, now would also be the time to chop your mint and peanuts if you are using them.
Step 2: Peel pomelo
The hardest part of this dish is peeling the pomelo, including the white membrane surrounding each wedge. Since the pomelo does not leach juice, it is not terribly messy to do at home.
There’s no real easy way to go about this except to get in there with your hands and start tearing away animal style.
Peel away the outer rind as you would an orange.
Then start ripping open the tough white membrane to reveal the supple pink flesh.
Whether you can remove the whole wedge as a single supreme or in pieces, any size will work. Arrange them onto your serving platter.
Step 3: Dress and serve
Pour the dressing over the pomelo. Garnish with chopped mint and peanuts if using.
Wine pairing
Thai Pomelo salad pairs nicely with a rhone white wine that captures the zestiness in the citrus fruit.
Bonny Doon 2015 De Propio Gravitas White (North Coast)
This Bordeaux style blend composed of 64% Sémillon and 36% Sauvignon Blanc is from the famed Bonny Doon vineyard in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. Founded by Randall Graham in 1983, it was one of the first wineries in the US to embrace Rhone varietals. This wine is at once crisp, soft, and slightly acidic.
The citrus notes work well with the pomelo, and the wine is versatile enough to accommodate the slight heat from the Thai bird chili.
This wine also pairs nicely with an Alpine fresh, Jacquere French wine.
Tips to make it better @home
- The pomelos can be peeled well in advance since the juice does not leech out of the pulp. Prepare a few hours or the day before.
- Similarly, make the fish sauce dip ahead of time. Keep in the fridge and use it as an alternative salad dressing or dip for fried or fresh spring rolls.
- Other variations of this salad feature ground pork, baby shrimp, shredded carrots, coconut milk, fried shallots, fried garlic, and tamarind. If you have them, feel free to add them to the party.
Refreshing, juicy Thai appetizer
Cool, refreshing, and bursting with juicy flavors, this pomelo salad is waiting to come alive in your mouth. Give pomelos a try.
For another similarly flavored Thai salad, check out this Thai Winged Bean Salad.
Thai Pomelo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pomelo peeled into individual segments See Note 1
Fish Sauce Dip
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp honey or brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp water
- 1 ea Thai bird chili or 1/2 a jalapeno or other chili
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 ea small shallot thinly sliced
Garnish
- 4-6 leaves mint torn by hand or chiffonade thinly sliced
- 3 TB peanuts toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Mix together fish sauce dip ingredients. Make ahead up to 1-2 days, stored in the refrigerator.
- Peel pomelo and remove all white membrane. Arrange sections on a serving platter.
- Spoon over fish sauce dip, and top with garnish of mint and peanuts.
Notes
- One 2 1/2 lb pomelo yielded 2 c or 13 oz flesh, once I removed the skin, pith, and membrane.
- The pomelos can be peeled well in advance since the juice does not leech out of the pulp. Prepare a few hours or the day before.
- Similarly, make the fish sauce dip ahead of time. Keep in the fridge and use it as an alternative salad dressing or dip for fried or fresh spring rolls.
- Other variations of this salad feature ground pork, baby shrimp, shredded carrots, coconut milk, fried shallots, fried garlic, and tamarind. If you have them, feel free to add them to the party.
Nutrition
P.S. Do you love citrus fruit? Please spread the Asian ♥ and share!
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