Pla Goong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad)

Name: Pla Goong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad)
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: Salt (optional); 3 ounces lime juice (from about 3 limes); 3 tablespoons fish sauce; 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar; 2 tablespoons nam prik pao (Thai chile paste in oil); 2 finely chopped Thai bird chiles, or to taste; 1 pound large shrimp (1 1/2 pounds if heads-on); 2/3 cup very thinly sliced lemongrass (see note); 1 large shallot, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro; 1/2 cup whole mint leaves; 6 makrut lime leaves, finely shredded; Jasmine rice, for serving

Recipe from Jaisamarn Kanittanon

Adapted by Francis Lam

Pla Goong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad) — Davide Luciano for The New York Times. Food stylist: Claudia Ficca. Prop stylist: Gozde Eker.

Total Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 4(465)
Comments: Read comments

This dish is somewhere between a shrimp salad and a ceviche – just-cooked shrimp dressed with a sour-savory-sweet mixture of lime, fish sauce, and sweet chile paste, then showered with herbs and chiles. In classic Thai fashion, it’s combination of many tastes, each moment on your palate different from the next. It’s a favorite of Pornpong Kanittanon, the Consul General of Thailand in New York, and the recipe is adapted from his wife, Jaisamarn. —Francis Lam

Featured in: A Thai Shrimp Salad of Myriad Tastes

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

Salt (optional)
3ounces lime juice (from about 3 limes)
3tablespoons fish sauce
1½tablespoons sugar
2tablespoons nam prik pao (Thai chile paste in oil)
2finely chopped Thai bird chiles, or to taste
1pound large shrimp (1½ pounds if heads-on)
⅔cup very thinly sliced lemongrass (see note)
1large shallot, thinly sliced
½cup roughly chopped cilantro
½cup whole mint leaves
6makrut lime leaves, finely shredded
Jasmine rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a pot of 3 quarts of water to a boil. (I like to salt the water like pasta water; Kanittanon does not add salt.)
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, nam prik pao and chopped chiles. Taste, and adjust with any of the ingredients, including salt. The sauce’s flavor should be led by sourness and savoriness, but with a good balance of sweetness and heat.
Step 3
Cook the shrimp in the water until it just turns opaque, medium or medium-rare, about 1 minute. For better flavor, cook the shrimp with heads or shells on; peel when just cooled enough to handle.
Step 4
Add the shrimp to the sauce while still warm and toss; the lime will continue to “cook” the shrimp like a ceviche. Add the lemongrass, shallot, cilantro, mint leaves and makrut lime leaves, reserving a little of each herb for garnish. Toss, and place on a dish; scatter the reserved herbs on top. Serve immediately with hot rice.

Tip

Lemongrass varies widely in size; you may need from 2 thick to 8 thin stalks for this amount. Peel off the layers until the stem end is smooth and tender. Cut off the tough, thick base. Thinly slice only the white part of the stalk, just the bottom 3 or 4 inches. The rest of the stalk may be used for stock or tea.

Ratings

4 out of 5

465 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Comments

Mary Sayler7 years ago

Dear friends,
Let us not be too judgmental when a substitute is asked for. I live about 45 miles from a grocery that sells some of the ingredients in this salad so I will just have to wing it if I want to make something like it. So be of good cheer and think about your intolerances and try not to be too critical of others. And yes cilantro does taste like soap to some.

ColbysGran7 years ago

BTW, I am not averse to either of these. Just not available where I live. And let's hold the snarky comments and make this a place where we can not be judged by our questions.

Kathleen H7 years ago

Lime leaves and even the bird chilies freeze well. Buy them next time around an Asian market and keep in freezer. Same with galangal and lemon grass

Jo2 years ago

A good store cupboard recipe is boil a couple tbsp brown sugar with 100 mls water. Add 1 dried chilli, smashed garlic & ginger. Boil 5 minutes without letting it reduce down too much. Let cool a bit before adding fish sauce and lime juice. (too hot destroys the flavour) I have added cider vinegar/lemon when there isn't enough juice. Make this ahead, add bits and bobs to taste. Look for dried ingredients you can play with, galangal, bottled lemongrass. Strain off before using.

Maxine2 years ago

also, if you're willing to wait, amazon is a good source of most things exotic: kaffir lime leaves, thai bird chilis, galangal, lemongrass. much can be frozen. be of good cheer. it will work out.

Maxine3 years ago

at times i must rest to amazon (yes, i know) for lemongrass, galangal, bird's eye chili, lime leaves. none are available in my area. as someone else mentioned, they freeze well. haven't tried to freeze the chilis, as i use them up in other dishes..

Lynn Lozer3 years ago

Chilis freeze really well! Importfood.com is my source for fresh Thai produce.

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