Thai Pomelo Fruit Salad ยำส้มโอ

Thai pomelo salad with shrimp is a refreshing and light salad that is easy to make.  This gluten and dairy-free recipe is super healthy yet does not sacrifice the tasty flavors, (sweet, sour, and salty) found in Thai food. This Thai salad is a great one to get you started on your healthy eating journey after you’ve indulged in the holiday yummy treats. 

This healthy salad is full of delectable flavors that are often found in Thai cooking. And those flavors are sweet, sour, and salty, coming from 3 sources, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce. These 3 flavors are usually achieved in equal balance first and foremost then can be personalized from there with individual taste preference. 

This pomelo salad is one of my favorite Thai salads, especially when I want to eat healthier yet still need the tasty flavors of Thai food. This salad fits the bill perfectly! Pomelos can be hard to find offseason. The best time of year to find them is usually around December-February. They are in season at the same time as other citrus fruit, which is usually right around this time of year, the winter months. So go grab some now while they are still around. 

What is a pomelo?

If you are not familiar with Pomelos, I wrote a blog post about What Is a Pomelo and how to cut, eat, and the uber-healthy benefits of pomelo. I have step-by-step photo instructions on how to cut it too. Super helpful! 

Pomelo as a fruit salad?

Are you skeptical about using citrus fruit as a salad? Well, fear not. The naturally sweet and slightly sour flavor of the pomelo with added salty fish sauce and lime juice brings this dish to a whole new experience of eating fruit for a salad. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Oh, and the coconut flakes and coconut milk bring this recipe for Thai shrimp salad to a whole new level of tastiness. Let’s give this recipe a try, shall we? Just so you are warned; be careful.  This tasty dish just might be your new favorite healthy Thai recipe. 

What are the ingredients for Thai pomelo salad?

Well, here you go, below, is a picture of all the ingredients you'll need for this super version of the Thai Pomelo Salad. You can find almost all of the ingredients in your local grocery store with the exception of the dried shrimp. Which you can omit out for simplicity's sake but if you want that authentic Thai flavor, then it's worth the effort of grabbing a bag of the dried shrimp from your Asian Grocery store. You can usually find it in the refrigerated section, make sure to always check the expiration date too. Or here's a quicker option to buy your dried shrimp online if you don't have the time to go to the Asian grocery store. 

How to make Thai pomelo salad with shrimp 

Below is a step by step pictures of how to make this easy and healthy Thai fruit salad.

1. Peel the pomelo and use only the meat for the salad. Discard the peel and pith of the fruit. Check this blog post out on how to cut and peel a pomelo.

1.  Toast the coconut flakes on medium-high heat in a skillet for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, remove from the skillet and let cool. Notice the naturally extracted coconut oil, glorious aroma, and extra crispiness of the flakes. This extra step will help intensify the flavors of the Thai pomelo salad, in a very delicious way! 

1. Soak the dried shrimp in hot water in a small bowl for 5 minutes, drain, then set aside.

1. Heat a skillet or cast iron pan at medium heat, add the coconut oil, wait until the pan & oil is warm, add the raw shrimp, stir every now then, and let cook for 5-8 minutes. Add a dash of water also if the shrimp starts to dry up. Add a dash of salt at the end for a slight seasoning.  Turn the heat off and set it aside to cool.

5. The sauce: In a medium bowl, mix fish sauce, lime juice, sugar,  chili flakes, stir together.

1. Add the sliced shallots and mix well.

1. Add coconut milk to the mixture and stir it all together.

1. Add the cooked shrimp and dried shrimp to the sauce, mix until all the ingredients are evenly coated. 

1. Add the pomelo, toasted coconut flakes, and cilantro (image below) to the mix and stir very gently and taste your beautiful creation. You can add additional lime juice, a dash of sugar, chili flakes, and fish sauce to taste here. 

Kitchen Notes:

• For garnishing, (This is optional but recommended) add your favorite chopped nuts to garnish and serve fresh.
• You can also add the crispy and crunchy fried shallots to this recipe too. It pairs incredibly well together!
• Here's my recipe for delicious Fried Shallots.
• Thai pomelo salads are best eaten fresh, leftovers are highly discouraged as the fruit will be all soggy and lose its fresh flavors quickly.

Enjoy your new favorite Thai fruit salad! 

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Thai Pomelo Fruit Salad

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Suwanee
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

Thai pomelo salad with shrimp is a refreshing and light salad that is easy to make.  This gluten and  dairy-free recipe is super healthy yet does not sacrifice the tasty flavors, (sweet, sour and salty) found in Thai cuisine. This Thai salad is a great one to get you started on your healthy eating journey after you’ve indulged in the holiday yummy treats. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 pomelo anywhere from 1-2 pounds

½ lb uncooked shrimp, remove tails if necessary

1 tsp coconut oil (or any other oil of choice that can handle high heat cooking)

¼ cup dried shrimp (you can leave this out if you are not able to find this, use extra shrimp instead)

½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp sugar: I used cane sugar but brown sugar is ok, too

1-½ Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp chili flakes, more if you like it spicy

¼ cup coconut milk (you can use coconut cream if desired, the same amount but know that it will be slightly thicker and have just a tad bit more calories)

⅓ cup chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp thinly sliced shallots

2 Tbsp chopped small peanuts, cashew or slivered almonds (optional for garnishing)

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Instructions

1. Peel the pomelo and use only the meat for the salad. Discard the peel and pith of the fruit. Check this blog post out on how to cut and peel a pomelo.

2.  Toast the coconut flakes on medium-high heat in a skillet for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, remove from the skillet and let cool. Notice the naturally extracted coconut oil, glorious aroma, and the extra crispiness of the flakes. This extra step will help intensify the flavors of the Thai pomelo salad, in a very delicious way! 

3. Soak the dried shrimp in hot water in a small bowl for 5 minutes, drain, then set aside.

4. Heat a skillet or cast iron pan at medium heat, add the coconut oil, wait until the pan & oil is warm, add the raw shrimp, stir every now then and let cook for 5-8 minutes. Add a dash of water also if the shrimp starts to dry up. Add a dash of salt at the end for a slight seasoning.  Turn the heat off and set aside to cool.

5. The sauce: In a medium bowl, mix fish sauce, lime juice, sugar,  chili flakes, stir together.

6. Add the sliced shallots and mix well.

7. Add coconut milk to the mixture and stir it all together.

8. Add the cooked shrimp and dried shrimp to the sauce, mix until all the ingredients are evenly coated. 

9. Add the pomelo, toasted coconut flakes and cilantro (image below) to the mix and stir very gently and taste your beautiful creation. You can add additional lime juice, a dash of sugar, chili flakes and fish sauce to taste here. 

Notes

Kitchen Notes:

• For garnishing, (This is optional but recommended) add your favorite chopped nuts to garnish and serve fresh.
• If you like your shrimp slightly on the crispier or firmer side, turn up the heat to high for 1 minute and stir to keep it from sticking to the pan too much.
• You can also add the crispy and crunchy fried shallots to this recipe too. It pairs incredibly well together! Here's my recipe for delicious fried shallots. 
• Thai pomelo salads are best eaten fresh, leftovers are highly discouraged as the fruit will be all soggy and loses it's fresh flavors quickly.

Enjoy your new favorite Thai fruit salad! 

• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 10
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: Thai pomelo salad, healthy Thai food, shrimp pomelo salad

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