How to make Thai fresh corn and tomato salad with shrimp and sausage – a crisp, summery dish
- Crisp corn and sweet cherry tomatoes are given a Southeast Asian twist with fish sauce, lime and chillies
- Cold Vietnamese sausage and shrimps complete the salad, adding flavour and texture
Fresh corn – often called sweetcorn to differentiate it from the starchier varieties – is a delicious summery treat. I love it slightly charred on the grill, so it gets a smoky flavour, but it’s also good when simply blanched, then served with melted butter.
Thai fresh corn and tomato salad
This easy salad showcases two of the best summer ingredients: corn and small, ripe cherry tomatoes. In Hong Kong, the sweetest cherry tomatoes are sold by fruit vendors (botanically, tomatoes are a fruit), while vegetable vendors sell the larger tomatoes that are used for making savoury dishes.
If the sweetcorn you buy is really fresh, there is no need to cook it – you can eat it raw. If you prefer to cook the vegetable, blanch it only briefly – for 30 seconds or less – or it will lose its crisp texture.
Vietnamese cold pork sausage (cha lua/gio lua) is also known as steamed pork sausage. It has a bouncy texture and can be eaten straight out of the pack – there’s no need to cook it. Look for it in the refrigerated section of Vietnamese or Thai shops. If you can’t find it, leave it out and add more fresh shrimp to the dish, or add a couple of hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters.
Ingredients
15 grams (2 tbsp) dried shrimp
4-6 ears of sweetcorn, husk and silks removed
8-10 fresh shrimp, with body size about 6cm (2½ inches) long, peeled