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As summer arrives, the popularity of salad dishes surges, gracing more family tables. The refreshing and palatable nature of fish salads is immensely enticing. At the heart of this fish salad lies the indispensable dipping sauce. Join Mytour in the kitchen to learn how to create a delectable fish salad dipping sauce that is simply irresistible.
1. Recipe for Sweet and Sour Fish Salad Dipping Sauce
Amongst the various fish salad dipping sauces, perhaps the sweet and sour fish sauce reigns supreme in popularity. Fresh, crispy fish pieces dipped generously in sweet and tangy sauce, paired with crisp, fresh greens, make for an unforgettable experience. Below is the recipe for crafting this exquisite dipping sauce for fish salad.
Gather Your Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2.5 tablespoons lime/lemon juice (preferably lime for a more aromatic flavor)
- Minced garlic, shallots
- 2 – 3 chili peppers
Method
- Rinse the chili peppers, slit them lengthwise, remove the seeds, and finely mince. Cut the lime in half, squeeze out the juice, and discard the seeds.
- Combine fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Season to taste (depending on the saltiness of the fish sauce, you may need to add a bit of water or lime juice). Adjust the seasoning to achieve a balanced flavor.
- Fish salads, in general, and shredded fish salads, in particular, are best enjoyed when wrapped with vermicelli, fresh herbs, and rice paper. Dip them in the rich, spicy garlic chili fish sauce. Some common herbs for accompaniment include: lettuce, perilla leaves, and banana blossoms,...
- 30 grams ripe tamarind
How to make
Step 1: Prepare ingredients
- Peel and finely chop garlic, remove stems from chili peppers, wash and finely chop (you can strain to reduce spiciness). You can either buy crushed peanuts or buy peanuts and roast, peel, grind, then crush (do not crush too finely).
Step 2: Making dipping sauce
- Pour tamarind into a small bowl, pour boiling water in, stir until tamarind dissolves, then strain to get tamarind essence. Next, add fish sauce, sugar, and MSG into the tamarind water bowl. Stir well and taste again to adjust. Finally, add finely chopped garlic, chili, and crushed peanuts. With this dipping sauce recipe for fish salad, you can use it with mai fish salad, shredded fish salad, etc. The sauce is rich with fish sauce flavor, the sourness from lime, sweetness from sugar, the nuttiness from roasted peanuts, and the spicy kick from chili. All harmonize with each piece of fresh, crispy fish, creating a truly delicious sensation!
Image: Collected
- See more: 10+ delicious dipping sauce recipes for dumplings
3. Making fish salad dipping sauce from fermented rice
Fermented rice is a familiar ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine, and dipping sauces are no exception. This recipe for fish salad dipping sauce from fermented rice produces a product with its characteristic white color, sweet and sour taste, and fragrant aroma from turmeric. This helps the fish salad become more flavorful and masks any fishy taste.
Prepare the ingredients
- Fermented rice (can be homemade or store-bought), 2 eggs, 1 piece of turmeric, 1 piece of ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon MSG
Image: Curated
How to make
Step 1: Prepare ingredients and ferment rice (skip this step if you buy ready-made)
- Peel and wash turmeric and ginger, then grind them. Slice a part of ginger thinly (used for fermentation). Let rice cool down in a bowl, add some water to make it moist. Put rice in a bowl or container with a lid, then add rice washing water and some thinly sliced ginger (wait until the rice washing water settles, then use the cloudy part) or you can use vinegar instead of rice washing water. Then cover tightly, leave in a ventilated place, avoid sunlight for 3 - 4 days, and we have white fermented rice ready to use.
4. How to Make Thai Style Fish Salad Dressing
Thailand is also a country that loves fish salads, so the Thai style fish salad dressing is incredibly enticing and worth trying. The special touch of this recipe is the use of Thai lime leaves and Thai curry sauce to create a unique flavor. I'll let you in on a secret: this dressing is perfect for salmon salads.
Preparing the Ingredients
- 1 stalk of lemongrass
- 2 – 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 – 4 shallots
- 1/2 thumb-sized ginger
- Spring onions, lime leaves
- Thai curry sauce (if unavailable, regular curry powder can be substituted)
- Seasonings: fish sauce, sugar, chili powder
Image source: Collected
Method
Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients
- Trim the old leaves off the lemongrass, wash thoroughly, and finely chop. Peel the garlic and shallots; finely chop the garlic, thinly slice the shallots.
- Peel the ginger, cut into small strips. Wash the lime leaves, chop finely. Remove the white part from the spring onions, slice thinly.
Step 2: Prepare the Dipping Sauce
- The dipping sauce recipe is made in the following proportions: 1 fish sauce – 2 lime – 1 sugar and a bit of curry powder, chili powder. Stir well and taste again.
- Then add finely chopped garlic, shallots, lemongrass, and the white part of the spring onions. Mix well. Finally, add lime leaves and ginger. You can use it for dipping or pour it directly over the fish, both taste delicious!
- The dipping sauce bowl has a beautiful color and a wonderful aroma. The sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavors blend perfectly, infusing into every piece of salmon. Each bite is a delight.
5. How to Make Fish Salad Dressing with Shrimp Paste
Fish salad dressing with shrimp paste? It might sound strange at first, but this is a very common fish salad dressing recipe in the coastal provinces. For those who are not fond of raw shrimp paste, you can rest assured because the shrimp paste in this fish salad dressing recipe will be cooked. This ensures a safer and more flavorful dipping sauce.
Prepare the Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of shrimp paste (ground)
- Tapioca flour/cassava flour
- Crushed peanuts
- 2 stalks of ginger
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 6-7 stalks of young lemongrass
- Seasonings, sugar
- Dark soy sauce
Method
Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients
- Strain the shrimp paste to remove all the residue. Do not skip this step because the shrimp paste residue will make the dipping sauce gritty and unpleasant. After straining, we'll have about 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste.
Image source: Collected
If you don't have dark soy sauce, you can make it using the following method:
- Put sugar in a pot or pan and stir evenly over medium heat. The sugar will gradually melt and turn into a dark amber color, slightly viscous. At this point, add a small bowl of filtered water and continue boiling until it reaches a boil. Adding the dark soy sauce will give the dipping sauce a more attractive color.
Image source: Collected
- Trim the old leaves off the lemongrass, wash thoroughly, then finely chop. Peel and slice the ginger
- Divide the peanuts into 3 portions. Grind 2 portions of peanuts finely. Then put the ground peanuts into a bowl
- Next, grind the remaining portion of peanuts finely. Add a little water, all of the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass into it
Image source: Collected
Step 2: Cook the Mixture
- Dissolve 10 grams of tapioca flour in ½ cup of water, stir well then pour into a pot. Add ground peanuts, ground mixture of garlic, lemongrass, and strained shrimp paste into the pot. Stir the entire mixture.
- Add 2.5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of seasoning.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add 20ml (½ cup) of water. Cook until the mixture boils and thickens. Add chili before serving.
Image source: Collected
This fragrant and delicious dipping sauce is not only used for fish salad but also goes well with dishes like salad rolls, fresh spring rolls, various salads, and Vietnamese pancakes.
Image source: Collected
Above are 5 ways to make fish salad dressing with diverse flavors and colors for you to choose from. Fish salads will taste even better when paired with these delicious dipping sauces!
Explore more:
- Discover 7 ways to make delicious Thai dipping sauces
- Save these 3 amazing recipes for fish sauce with lemongrass and chili
