Spicy Seafood Salad (Yum Talay)

November 13, 2020

Spicy Seafood Salad (Yum Talay) © kvalifood.com

Yum talay is a Thai seafood salad dressed in a punchy lime-chili-fish sauce dressing. The word “yum” refers to a category of Thai salads, and “talay” means ocean - so this is essentially an ocean salad. The clams do double duty here: they provide both protein and a briny cooking liquid that gets stirred into the dressing, tying the whole thing together. Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) adds sweetness and depth, making sugar unnecessary. About 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main

The Dressing

1-3 Thai chilies, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced (or grated)
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)

The Salad

450 g live clams
Water, as needed
3 Tbsp lemongrass, thinly sliced into rounds
250 g seafood mix of your choice: shrimp, squid, fish, scallops, etc.
125 ml Thai basil leaves, chopped
60 ml shallots, thinly julienned
125 ml grape tomatoes, halved
1-2 green onions, chopped
60 ml cilantro, chopped
Jasmine rice, for serving

Directions

Stir all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Wash the clams in cold water, discarding any that are broken or won’t close when tapped. If using wild clams, soak them in cold salted water for 30 minutes to an hour to purge sand, then rinse again. Farm-raised clams usually don’t need this step.

Put about 1 inch of water in a pot just big enough to hold the clams and bring it to a boil. Add the lemongrass and clams, cover, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the clams open. Transfer the clams to a large mixing bowl, leaving the cooking liquid in the pot. If some clams haven’t opened, return them and cook another minute - discard any that still won’t open after the second try.

Spoon 3 Tbsp of the clam cooking liquid into the dressing and stir to combine.

Bring the remaining cooking liquid back to a boil and use it to blanch the rest of your seafood, adding more water if needed. Transfer each batch of cooked seafood to the bowl with the clams.

While the seafood is still warm, toss in the Thai basil and shallots - the residual heat will wilt the shallots and release the basil’s aroma. Pour the dressing over the seafood, then add the grape tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Toss gently.

Serve in a shallow bowl on its own as an appetizer, or with jasmine rice as a main course.

Notes

You can make the dressing (without the clam liquid) ahead of time and refrigerate it.
If using fish in the salad, toss it separately with some dressing and place it on top after plating - this prevents it from crumbling.
Scallops can be seared in a hot skillet instead of blanched, which gives them a nice brown crust.
Using the clam cooking liquid in the dressing isn’t traditional, but it bridges the flavour of the dressing and the seafood. The lemongrass in the cooking water also helps mellow any fishiness.
Best eaten fresh. The salad doesn’t keep well overnight.