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Vietnamese inspired Salmon Rice Noodle Salad Bowls with Mango Nuoc Cham

Shanna
Inspired by Vietnamese salad rolls and rice noodle bowls this salad is full off fresh vegetables, herbs, marinated and grilled fresh wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon and a Mango version of traditional Nuoc Cham, a Vietnamese dipping sauce.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 16 minutes
Servings 4 Large Salads

Ingredients
  

For the Salmon:

  • Four 4-6 ounce Wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets
  • c brown sugar 71g
  • cup water
  • 3 tablespoon fish sauce I love Red Boat
  • 1 shallot diced, about 2 Tbsp
  • 3 large garlic cloves peeled and diced
  • 2 teaspoon lemongrass diced ( from a 2-3 inch piece)
  • 2 teaspoon lime zest
  • 2 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoon ginger minced

For the salad:

  • Salad ingredients are approximate depends on how large of a salad you make.
  • 2-3 Carrots peeled and julienned or shredded 1-2 cups)
  • 1 Japanese cucumber or 2 Persian, julienned or shredded (1-2 cups)
  • 1-2 Mangoes peeled and julienned (1-2 cups) Green or ripe
  • ½ Red cabbage shredded ( 1-2 cups)
  • 1 head Butter lettuce half shredded, half left in whole leaves ( 4-6 cups lettuce total)
  • 1 bunch Thai Basil
  • 1 bunch Mint (2-3 tablespoon per bowl
  • 1 bunch Cilantro ¼ cup per bowl
  • 6-8 oz Vietnamese thin rice noodles vermicelli or capellini, cooked according to package directions ( see notes) about a cup for each serving
  • ½ cup salted peanuts roughly chopped
  • 2-3 whole limes sliced

For the Mango Nuoc Cham:

  • 2 ½ tablespoon Sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoon Lime Juice
  • ½ cup warm water
  • 3-4 tablespoon fish sauce
  • ½ cup mango pureed
  • 2 teaspoon rice vinegar unseasoned
  • 1-2 Red Chili pepper Fresno, Serrano or Thai stem, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced

Instructions
 

  • There are a lot of ingredients to this recipe, however it is still really easy to make. The marinade, the salad itself and the sauce which is used as a vinaigrette here. 
  •  Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a shallow baking dish then place the salmon on top, skin side up. Set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes
  • Make the Mango Nuoc Cham. Start with adding the sugar and lime juice together then the water. Taste and add more sugar or lime juice if you like before adding in fish sauce. Start with two tablespoons and then add more as you taste it to see how you like it. Stir in the vinegar and pureed mango and whisk well. Stir in the diced chili pepper and keep chilled until ready to use. 
  • Prepare the salad ingredients. Peel and julienne the carrots. You can finely dice, use a food processor or a julienne peeler. Julienne the cucumbers, mango. Finely shred the cabbage and half the lettuce, save some of the lettuce leaves whole to layer in the bottom of the bowl.
  • For the rice noodles, bring unsalted water to a boil and add the noodles. Boil according to package directions - this will vary depending on thickness of noodles used. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water until cool. 
  • Preheat your grill or oven to 450 Deg F. Grill the salmon 3 minutes skin side up then flip and grill another 3-4 minutes. You an also roast on a grill pan in an oven for the same amount of time. You want it just past pink but not overcooked at all. I prefer grilling. 
  • Let the salmon rest while you assemble the bowls. 
  • Using wide, shallow soup or pasta bowls, spread a few of the whole lettuce leaves on one half, the shredded lettuce on the other. Arrange the rest of the prepared vegetables around the bowl in any order you like. Add some off the noodles on one side and top with the salmon, separating into chunks if you like. Garnish with the herbs and chopped peanuts. Serve with the Mango Nuoc Cham. Drizzle the sauce over the bowls and mix with a fork or chopsticks before eating.