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Thai Influenced but Latin American in origin, this Larb Salmon Ceviche is going to kick your tastebuds into maximum gear before leaving them quivering in frenzied anticipation! You’ll be amazed by the multitudinous sensations with every forkful – hot, sour and sweet, all wrapped up in wave after wave of umami packed bliss, sending a tingle right down to your toes!
This recipe was inspired by one of my favourite restaurants in Bangkok, Audrey Cafe & Bistro, (next picture) a delightful cafe that has been designed with Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s in mind! I was speechless when I came across it in Thonglor Soi 11, Bangkok. So out of place, yet so perfect!
They have a variety of spicy salads, vegetarian and meat alike; one of them, Larb Salmon Sashimi, blew my mind. I love all things seafood and I love sashimi! That particular dish was made up of raw salmon topped with a lovely piquant sauce. The dish stayed in my mind and yesterday I finally got the opportunity to replicate it since we got back from our travels.
What is Larb Salmon Ceviche?
Larb (or Laab)
Something we have a lot at home, it’s a cooked salad brimming with herbs and chillies, the national dish of Laos and is also eaten in North Eastern Thailand, in the Isan region. I’ll talk more about that and the different types of Larb in an actual post on it.
Ceviche
Pronounced suh-vee-chay (or suh-bee-chay in Spain), this is a dish of raw fish or seafood cured in citrus juice, whether lime or lemon, and flavoured with herbs and chilli. My first taste of ceviche was actually on a small island in the Philippines, in the early 90s on one of my SCUBA diving trips. Filipino food has a huge Spanish and Latin American influence, having formed part of Spain’s past foreign empire known as “New Spain”. I have a recipe here for Shiitake Ceviche, if you fancy a vegetarian version.
I’m calling my recipe ceviche because our Larb marinade is heavy on the lime juice and I preferred the idea of “cooking” the meat in the juice. It’s a very simple marinade, you’ll see.
Not into Raw Fish?
Don’t fret. Just lightly sear the salmon pieces until cooked, at the same time simmer the marinade. Serve the salmon on a bed of salad leaves and pour the warm marinade all over.
The Marinade
Is very forgiving! And very open to experimentation. I feel the lime juice is necessary for that South East Asian identity but lemon juice can be used too. If you have access to Thai basil leaves, they would go great in here, as would Kaffir Lime leaves, sliced thinly. If you don’t like fish sauce, use half the amount of light soy sauce. Click to read more on the different varieties of soy sauce.
The most important thing about the marinade is, taste it as you go. Hot enough, sour enough, sweet enough (or too sweet)? Get it right to suit your preference, my recipe here is a base for you. If this is your first time playing with South East Asian (Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, etc) flavours, then follow it to the letter as your starting point.
Toasted Rice Powder
This is quite a common topping on salads, soups and dipping sauces in South East Asia, click here for the super duper quick and easy recipe. You could always substitute this with crushed toasted peanuts, also a common Thai/Vietnamese topping.
Good luck and more importantly, have a blast! Let me know what you think of it by leaving a comment below!
Now, let’s get our aprons on!
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Larb Salmon Ceviche
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets about 250g – 300g (about 10oz) in total weight, skinless
- toasted rice powder
*Marinade*
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- ½ – 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- small handful fresh coriander leaves cilantro
- 3 spring onions scallions
- 2 sprigs fresh mint leaves only
- dash of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Let’s make the marinade first. Finely chop all the herbs and place in a small bowl. (It makes sense to chop the herbs before the fish, unless you use different boards for meat and vegetables; my chopping boards all go in the dishwasher).
- Add all the other marinade ingredients and stir thoroughly. Set aside.
- Now let's work on the salmon. Remove any dark meat on the underside of the salmon. We're going for pure orange flesh here, for the best taste.
- Cut up the salmon into little pieces, about 1cm squared cubes (about half inch cubes) and place in a shallow bowl.
- Pour the marinade all over the salmon and mix well.
- Cover tightly with a cling film and place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes for the fish to cure slightly and the flavours to develop. The marinade has a potent aroma, so if you don't like your fridge "stinking up", cover well!
- It'll be ready to eat after the 5 minutes. Don't marinate for more than an hour or the fish will be "cooked" too much by the lime juice and will fall apart and have a cotton-y texture.
- Dish up in 4 plates (or even cocktail glasses) and sprinkle each serving with ¼ tsp of the toasted ground rice.
Just a quickie question. Roasted rice powder is part of the ingredients but it isn’t mentioned anywhere in the instructions. Is it part of the marinade?
Hi Lis, that’s an oversight, which I’ve corrected. The toasted rice powder goes on after it’s dished up on individual plates. Like a garnish.
Such gorgeous clean presentation and mouthwatering description, Lin! This is seductive. And I love how accommodating this recipe is.
Thank you, Maria!
I see why you call your dish ceviche as opposed to say poke or carpaccio or sashimi salad, it’s about your juice/dressing.
Salmon belly works very well with lime, no doubt this pairs well with margarita!
Thank you, I’m sure it does.
Just saw this on FB. Wow, just wow! I love ceviche, and making it with Thai flavors never occurred to me! Bookmarked for the weekend.
Awesome, let me know how it goes!
I love trying different kinds of ceviche…this one looks wonderful and full of fantastic flavor. Love the addition of mint and chili for sweet and heat:)
Thank you Ali!
I so enjoy to learn of foods from around the world. This looks like a super preparation. I am liking the broth you created.
Thanks Peter!
What a fantastic fusion dish! That restaurant looks incredible, got to put it on my bucket list.
Thank you, the restaurant was indeed amazing!
Love the origins of this dish, love the flavors i this dish, love Breakfast at Tiffany’s…basically, I love everything about this!
Haha, thank you!
Wow what a mixture of flavours and aromas! I love fusion food and this looks fab. So fresh and vibrant!
it’s look so tasty
Thank you, Noor, it sure is. x
The dish looks (and sounds) incredible! So great of you to break it down by parts and to encourage tailoring. Thailand and Cambodia are on my bucket list of places to visit. How adorable is the Audrey Cafe & Bistro?! It’ll be the first stop when I get to Bangkok.
Thank you so much Brooks, isn’t it amazing to find something like that in Thailand? I love Cambodia too!