Vietnamese Tomato Salad
Notes from Jaimie Wilson: Don’t skimp on the fried shallots. That’s what makes this. I fried my own because I only had fresh. But the Asian stores have fried garlic and shallots. I used a Hungarian wax pepper. The herbs were Thai basil, Italian basil and cilantro. Ideally, i would have swapped the Italian basil for dill, but my dill had rotted. boo. I also followed the advice sidebar and doubled the Thai dressing. I have been eating it with baby cukes for days.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup fish sauce (preferably Red Boat or Three Crabs)
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 Persian or kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise, sliced into half-moons
- 1 Hungarian wax, Jimmy Nardello, or green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 1½ lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, halved if small, cut into wedges if large
- 2 cups coarsely chopped mixed tender herbs (such as dill, cilantro, and/or Thai basil)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup crushed salted dry-roasted peanuts
- ⅓ cup store-bought fried shallots
Instructions
Step 1
Place sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and 1 Tbsp. water in a jar. Cover and shake dressing vigorously until combined and sugar is dissolved.
Step 2
Combine fennel, cucumber, sweet pepper, raw shallot, tomatoes, and herbs in a large bowl; season generously with black pepper. Drizzle ½ cup dressing over and toss salad to combine. Taste and add more dressing if desired.
Step 3
Transfer salad to a platter and top with peanuts and fried shallots.