Mackerel and Lotus Stem Salad: A Simple & Detailed Guide

Mackerel and lotus stem salad is a fresh, crunchy, and appealing dish with the distinctive flavors of mackerel and lotus stem. This article will guide you on how to make mackerel and lotus stem salad in the most detailed and easy way, ensuring you can prepare this delicious dish at home.

Ingredients Needed

To make mackerel and lotus stem salad, you will need to prepare the following ingredients:

• Mackerel: 300g, cleaned and thinly sliced
• Lotus stem: 200g, washed and cut into segments
• Carrot: 1, julienned
• Onion: 1, thinly sliced
• Vietnamese coriander (Rau răm): 1 bunch, washed and finely chopped
• Roasted peanuts: 50g, crushed
• Garlic, chili: 2 cloves garlic, 2 chilies, minced
• Fish sauce, sugar, lime, cooking oil: to taste

To understand more about making salads, you can refer to how to make shrimp and pork salad.

How to Make Mackerel and Lotus Stem Salad

Ingredient Preparation

1. Lotus stem: Wash the lotus stem thoroughly, cut into small segments about 4-5 cm long. Use a knife to split each segment into 2-3 parts lengthwise. Dissolve 50ml rice vinegar with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 cup of cold water, then soak the lotus stem for 10-15 minutes to make it crispier and sweeter. After soaking, remove the lotus stem and drain well.

   Lotus stem cut into segments, halved, and soaked in diluted rice vinegar water

2. Mackerel: Wash the mackerel, cut into thin, bite-sized slices. Marinate the mackerel with a little salt and pepper for 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.

3. Carrot: Wash, peel, and julienne into thin strips.

4. Onion: Peel, wash, and thinly slice.

5. Vietnamese coriander: Wash and finely chop.

6. Garlic, chili: Wash and mince.

Making the Salad Dressing

The salad dressing is a crucial part that determines the dish’s flavor. Follow this recipe:

• 1 cup fish sauce
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• A pinch of MSG (monosodium glutamate)

Combine all ingredients and dissolve them, then bring to a boil on the stove until the mixture starts to thicken. Turn off the heat. Next, add ½ cup chili sauce, ½ cup lime juice, and 1 minced chili, then stir well.

Salad dressing is the crucial part that determines the dish's flavor

Note: You can adjust the amount of fish sauce, sugar, or chili according to your family’s taste.

Assembling the Salad and Making Dipping Sauce

1. Mixing the salad: Place lotus stem, mackerel, carrot, onion, and Vietnamese coriander in a large bowl and mix well. Then, pour the salad dressing over the ingredients and toss thoroughly. To ensure the mackerel and lotus stem salad is not too salty or too bland, you should not add all the dressing at once; instead, divide it into two portions for tasting before adding more.

2. Dipping sauce: Prepare an additional bowl of garlic chili fish sauce for dipping. The recipe for the dipping sauce is as follows: 1/3 cup fish sauce + 1/2 teaspoon sugar + 1 tablespoon warm water + 1 tablespoon lime juice, mixed well with minced garlic and chili.

   Lotus stem salad with shrimp crackers

To enjoy this appealing mackerel and lotus stem salad even more, remember to prepare some shrimp crackers or grilled rice paper to serve alongside. You can also refer to how to make shrimp and lotus stem salad to diversify your family meals.

Conclusion

Mackerel and lotus stem salad is a rustic yet attractive dish, perfect for hot summer days. With the detailed instructions above, you can absolutely make this salad at home. Don’t forget to experiment and share your recipe with everyone!

If you love other types of salads, refer to how to make squid and lotus stem salad for more options for your family’s menu.