Grilled Salmon, Mint and Lychee Salad

This salad is the perfect balance of salty and sweet, with fresh mint and coriander to cut through the rich salmon. I also adore the juxtaposition of hot and cold. I got my inspiration for this recipe from Bill Granger’s Bill’s Everyday Asian which, if you love Southeast Asian cuisine like me, is an absolute treasure trove of easy, make-at-home meals. It can be tricky to find fresh lychees in New Zealand, but most supermarkets stock the canned variety.

Makes: 4 serves
Takes: 15 minutes to prep + marinating time; 5 minutes to cook

Dairy-free | Gluten-free 

Ingredients: 

Salad
4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons caster sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 fresh salmon fillets, skin on 

16 lychees, roughly torn into bite-sized pieces
handful mesclun salad leaves
handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

1 long fresh red chilli, sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

Dressing 
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method: Combine the fish sauce, caster sugar and sesame oil to make a marinade. Coat the salmon fillets with the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes. Combine the lychees, mesclun, coriander, mint, basil, chilli, red onion and cucumber in a salad bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad, tossing to mix. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Pan-fry the salmon fillets for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until just cooked and starting to caramelise. Remove the salmon from the pan, break into rough chunks and gently toss through the dressed salad just before serving.