Hello! Welcome to Kelly’s Kitchen. Today, we have the spicy, tangy, savory, umami-rich Thai salad called Larb. Ground meat (I am using ground turkey) is sautéd in spices and aromatics, then tossed with veggies in a simple dressing of lime juice and fish sauce. Serve larb with rice and/or lettuce cups for a light and satisfying dish that is perfect for summer’s hot weather. Let’s do it! It’s Thai Larb Salad.
Thai Larb Salad
Larb is traditionally served pretty spicy, but like many spicy Thai dishes, this is a choose-your-own-adventure-type of spicy dish. You can still enjoy the bright and fresh flavors without the spiciness.
Ingredients
Pickled Onions
- ½ cup Hot Water
- 2 tbsp. Rice Vinegar
- ½ Red Onion, sliced into thin half moons
Ground Meat
- 1-2 tbsp. Vegetable or Grapeseed Oil
- Remaining half of Red Onion, diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 4 tbsp. Lemongrass Paste (or finely minced Fresh Lemongrass)
- 1 tsp. Chili Flakes, more or less to taste
- 1 lb. Ground Turkey (or Chicken, Beef, or Lamb)
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp. Black Pepper
Salad
- 1 Medium-sized Cucumber, sliced
- 2–3 Radishes, sliced
- 3 Scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Chile Pepper, finely minced (optional, or Jalapeño, Thai red chili)
- ½ cup Chopped Cilantro
- ½ cup Chopped Mint
- ½ cup Chopped Basil
- 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
- 4 tbsp. Lime Juice
- 1 tsp. Honey
How to Prepare Thai Larb Salad
Step 1 – Pickled Onions
Place the sliced onion in a heat-safe dish and cover with about 1/2 cup of very hot water and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Put the onions in the fridge until we are ready for them.
Step 2 – Ground Meat
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable or grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion until it begins to soften and becomes translucent. Then add the lemongrass, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Then add the ground meat and the salt and pepper. Cook the ground meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
Step 4
Let the meat brown and the liquid evaporate. Stir occasionally. This should take about 10 minutes.
Step 5 – The Salad
- Add the veggies and herbs to a large bowl. Then add the browned ground turkey to the salad.
- Top with the lime juice, fish sauce, and honey.
- Toss the salad to fully mix and coat everything in the dressing ingredients.
Step 6
Add the quick-pickled onions and give it another toss.
Step 7
Serve with rice and/or lettuce cups. You can serve this right away, or you can refrigerate it and serve it cold. Serve it with rice and/or with lettuce cups. Set out some sriracha sauce as a garnish.
Thai Larb Salad has a great, satisfying texture with the crunchy veggies and chewy, bouncy ground turkey. The aromatics flavor the ground turkey beautifully, with the lemongrass really coming through for a flavorful, refreshing finish. I do hope you give this dish a try, it’s Thai restaurant-worthy delicious and is really great on a hot summer day. For another great summer recipe, try Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini with Crispy Chickpeas. Take care and be well, xo Kelly
Key Equipment
Thai Larb Salad
Ingredients:
Pickled Onions
- ½ cup Hot Water
- 2 tbsp. Rice Vinegar
- ½ Red Onion sliced into thin half moons
Ground Meat
- 1-2 tbsp. Vegetable or Grapeseed Oil
- Remaining half of Red Onion diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 4 tbsp. Lemongrass Paste or finely minced Fresh Lemongrass
- 1 tsp. Chili Flakes more or less to taste
- 1 lb. Ground Turkey or Chicken, Beef, or Lamb
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp. Black Pepper
Salad
- 1 Medium-sized Cucumber sliced
- 2 –3 Radishes sliced
- 3 Scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Chile Pepper finely minced (optional, or Jalapeño, Thai red chili)
- ½ cup Chopped Cilantro
- ½ cup Chopped Mint
- ½ cup Chopped Basil
- 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
- 4 tbsp. Lime Juice
- 1 tsp. Honey
Instructions:
Pickled Onions
- Place the sliced onion in a heat-safe dish and cover with about 1/2 cup of very hot water and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Put the onions in the fridge until we are ready for them.
Ground Meat
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable or grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion until it begins to soften and becomes translucent. Then add the lemongrass, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Then add the ground meat and the salt and pepper. Cook the ground meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Let the meat brown and the liquid evaporate. Stir occasionally. This should take about 10 minutes.
Salad
- Add the veggies and herbs to a large bowl. Then add the browned ground turkey to the salad.
- Top with the lime juice, fish sauce and honey.
- Toss the salad to fully mix and coat everything in the dressing ingredients.
- Add the quick pickles onions and give it another toss.
- Serve with rice and/or lettuce cups. You can serve this right away, or you can refrigerate it and serve it cold. Serve it with rice and/or with lettuce cups. Set out some sriracha sauce as a garnish.
Tips/Notes
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