Cherry Som Tam Salad
Cherry som tam swaps the green papaya of a classic Thai som tam for firm summer cherries, dressed sharp with lime, tamarind and fish sauce and kept sour-led rather than sweet. Celery and chicory bring the crunch that shredded papaya usually gives, peanuts add richness, and a big handful of torn herbs keeps it fresh. It is a no-cook salad that sits happily next to almost anything off the grill.
Cherry Som Tam Salad
A Thai som tam built on firm summer cherries in place of green papaya, sharp with lime, tamarind and fish sauce, with celery and chicory for crunch. Sour-led, not sweet.
Ingredients
- 300g firm cherries, halved and pitted
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1 to 2 heads chicory, leaves separated and sliced into ribbons
- 50g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- A large handful of coriander, Thai basil and mint, torn
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 to 4 green bird's eye chillies
- 1.5 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 50ml fish sauce
- 50ml fresh lime juice (around 2)
- 3 tsp tamarind paste
Instructions
- In a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic and chilli together. Add the palm sugar, peanuts, fish sauce, lime juice, and tamarind and pound and stir until the sugar dissolves and the peanuts are broken down. If you have no mortar, blend everything in a mini food processor.
- Halve and pit the cherries, slice the celery and chicory on a sharp diagonal and add to a large bowl. Tear over the herbs and pour over the dressing and toss, bruising the shreds lightly so they take the dressing without turning to a pulp.
- Fold in the cherries, keeping the cherries as whole halves so they stay bright and do not bleed.
- Leave for 5 minutes so the shreds drink the dressing, then serve and scatter over the remaining peanuts and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
187Protein
7 gSugar
16 gCarbs
30 gFat
7 gApproximate values per serving
Ingredient Notes
Cherries
Use firm, slightly underripe cherries. They hold their shape when halved and take the dressing without going to mush, and they carry less sugar than fully ripe fruit, which matters in a salad meant to read sour first.
Chicory and celery
These stand in for the shredded papaya. Chicory sliced into ribbons gives the bulk and a clean, gentle bitterness; celery on a sharp diagonal gives the crunch and a little pepper. Both hold up to bruising without going limp.
Palm sugar and tamarind
Palm sugar brings a rounder, caramel note than white sugar, and soft brown sugar is the closest swap. Tamarind adds a deep, savoury sourness that lime alone cannot.
Fish sauce and lime
The backbone of the dressing. There is no soy here; the fish sauce does the savoury work, and 50ml of fresh lime keeps it bright. Bottled lime juice will not do the same job.
Peanuts and herbs
Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, for texture and richness. A generous mix of coriander, Thai basil and mint, torn rather than chopped so they stay loose and fragrant.
Kitchen Notes
Bruise, don't pulp
Toss the celery and chicory just enough to soften them and let them take the dressing. Pounded to a mush they lose the crunch that carries the dish.
Balancing the sweetness
At 300g the cherries make this generous and properly cherry-led, which brings the sweetness up to around that of a classic som tam rather than below it. If you want it sharper and more sour-led, drop the palm sugar to about 1 tsp or lift the lime and taste as you go.
Dress at the last minute
Dress the salad no more than 10 minutes before serving. Left longer it weeps and the shreds go slack. Prep everything ahead and keep it separate, then bring it together just before it hits the table.
Variations
The classic, with green papaya
Swap the celery and chicory for shredded green papaya for a traditional som tam.
Other firm fruit
Firm mango, hard unripe pear or shredded kohlrabi all work in this salad. The rule is something firm that holds its shape and takes the dressing without collapsing.
Without fish sauce
For a vegetarian or vegan version, swap the fish sauce for light soy or a vegan fish sauce and lean harder on the tamarind for depth. It shifts the flavour but holds the sour-salty balance.
Serving Suggestions
With crispy chicken or duck
This salad was built to sit next to something crisp-skinned. Roasted chicken thighs, gai yang style, are the natural match, the sour dressing cutting straight through the rendered skin. Pan-rendered duck breast, sliced pink and fanned over the salad, does the same job but with more richness.
With seafood
Seared or grilled prawns work beautifully, as does a whole roasted sea bass or bream. The lime and chilli in the dressing were made for shellfish and white fish.
Vegetarian mains
Crisp fried or sticky glazed tofu turns it into a full vegetarian plate. Make the salad without fish sauce if you want to keep the whole thing plant-based.
As part of a spread
Serve it as one dish among several, with jasmine or sticky rice and a curry or grilled meat, and let people build their own plates. It holds its own on a crowded table.
Drinks
The sour, salty, chilli-led profile wants something cold and either crisp or slightly sweet. A cold lager cuts the heat cleanly, an off-dry Riesling stands up to the lime and fish sauce without fighting the fruit, and a good dry cider works if you would rather not open wine.
Zero Waste
Coriander stems and roots
The stems carry more flavour than the leaves. Pound them into the dressing for extra depth, or freeze them for a curry paste or stock.
Celery tops
The pale inner leaves at the top of a celery head are worth using. Tear them in with the herbs rather than binning them.
Spent limes
Once you have zested and juiced the lime, the shells still hold oil. Drop them into a jug of water in the fridge.
FAQ
What can I use instead of green papaya in som tam?
Firm cherries, as here, or shredded firm mango, hard unripe pear or kohlrabi. The key is something firm that holds its shape and takes the dressing without collapsing.
Can I use frozen cherries?
Fresh firm cherries are best. Frozen ones thaw soft and wet and bleed into the dressing, so this is worth making during cherry season.
Can I make it ahead?
Prep everything and keep the components separate. Make the dressing and prep the veg and cherries in advance, but dress and toss no more than 10 minutes before serving or it weeps.
Is it gluten free?
There is no gluten in the ingredients as written, so it is gluten free as long as your fish sauce and tamarind paste are, which most are. Check the labels if you are cooking for someone coeliac.
Is it vegan?
Not as written, because of the fish sauce. Swap it for a vegan fish sauce or light soy and it works well.
