VIETNAMESE RADICCHIO SALAD BY PHOEBE TRAN OF BÉ BẾP

"This salad balances the bitter, bright, and sour flavors of radicchio, green citrus, and apples with a sweet and spicy fish sauce dressing—the base of all Vietnamese salads. Garnished with fresh herbs, toasted hazelnuts, and crispy fried shallots, it’s the perfect accompaniment to any Thanksgiving spread." - Phoebe Tran

VIETNAMESE RADICCHIO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

Salad
1 head castelfranco radicchio
2 heads treviso radicchio
5 green minneola tangelos
1 mountain rose apple
1 bunch mint
1 bunch shiso or lemon balm
1⁄4 cup hazelnuts
1⁄4 cup fried shallots

Dressing
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp water
6 tbsp fish sauce
2 green tangelos
2 birds eye chilies
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
Maldon salt

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 300F.

Make the dressing by heating the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the fish sauce.

Thinly slice the chilis, mince the garlic, and zest the tangelos into the bowl. Juice the tangelos and add the juice to the dressing; set aside.

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes.

Trim off the ends of your radicchios, wash, and spin them to dry.

Pick your herbs, wash and spin them to dry.

Supreme your tangelos and juice any of the cut ends into your dressing.

Use a mandoline to slice the apple and toss the slices in a bowl with the tangelo juice.

Once the hazelnuts have cooled, crush them using a mortar and pestle, a knife or pulse in a food processor.

In a large mixing bowl, add your radicchio, hand tearing them into large jagged pieces. Follow with hand-torn herbs, tangerines, apple slices, hazelnuts, and fried shallots.

Drizzle your olive oil around the rim of the bowl 3 times, followed by the fish sauce dressing and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Gently toss the salad with your hands to coat each leaf in dressing, tasting to ensure it’s well seasoned. Plate, garnish with more hazelnuts and fried shallots, and enjoy.