At the Asian Store — Au magasin asiatique

April 17, 2007

salmon tartar nuoc mâm fish prawn crackers ginger radish apple coriander

Gingered Salmon Tartar with Radish and Green Apple on Prawn Crackers

I can make this confession. I have a weakness for a type of junk food.

Or, is it really junk food?

It is all about a question of perspective, isn’t it?

In fact, no matter what it is, I do not even care. Or mind. I love to eat Prawn Crackers or Whatever You Call Them.

———

When I arrived at the specialized Asian store in Brighton by noon, I was really confident that it would be easy. I mean, like a real piece of cake. My plan was to walk into the large warehouse-looking store, scan quickly the shelf where lines of chips bags were kept, and walk out a few minutes later, happy with prawn crackers in my hands. A ten minute trip, not more complicated than this. And hopefully, I would not even need to ask any question to anyone. On my last visit, I had found out the hard way that only one woman spoke English amongst the staff, which ironically sounded like Chinese to me. I could hardly understand her. But as I walked through every single alley, looking carefully at each one of the shelves, I could not locate my crackers. Reluctantly, I walked back to the front counter where Mrs X. was busy talking to a few Chinese people.

“Excuse me, I am looking for shrimp chips (which I thought was their name),” I told her. She looked back at me somewhat puzzled, and so I repeated my question again. The second time, it seemed to make more sense to her. She took my hand briskly and pulled me over to a tall display loaded with stuff standing by the check-out.

“Ah no no, this is not what I want,” I then told her when her finger pointed towards a bag full of pink flat chips.”They are white and curvy. They melt in your mouth. Do you know them? I usually have them in Thai restaurants.”

“Do you make them?” she replied with a strong accent. Between mine and hers, we made a pretty odd pair.

“Make them? I don’t know. I’ve never made them before. I thought I was going to buy them already made.”

Her eyes lit up. She pulled on my hand again and started to take larger steps this time, almost running, and eventually dragged me at the other end of the store. There, she pointed towards a blue rectangular box with a large pink prawn drawn on it.

“This is what you want!” she repeated twice while shoving a box in my hands.

“Are you sure?” I said hesitantly.

“This is what you want!” she insisted.

“All right, all right.”

Since it was so cheap, I did not think twice about it and left the store with the box in my hands. Feeling eager to see whether Mrs X. was right, I drove home as fast as I could. Next to Chinese — was it? — a few instructions in both English and French were written on the blue box, making me feel somewhat safer. I would at least have a clue as to what to do. Take a large pot, pour some oil in it and fry the prawns. But when I opened the box, it was my turn to feel puzzled. It contained nothing but one-inch transparent pieces that looked like mere hard plastic. Was it it? Just dip them in the oil and see what happens, I repeated to myself. With my eyes riveted to the pot full of hot oil, I started by dropping one piece into the oil and stood there, waiting. It landed at the bottom. After one min, the thing started to move. It rose to the surface and eventually opened, stretching as a cocoon turns into a butterfly. And, it looked airy and snow white in color. Thrilled, I started again. Faster this time, it happened again. Fall, rise, open, stretch, white-colored and light. Le bonheur ! (Happiness!) How I wished I could have given Mrs X. a hug at that very moment. She was right! I had found my favorite junk food — or call them prawn crackers — and would at last be able to adorn them with one of my second favorite pig out food, a Gingered Salmon Tartar.

It was about time! I had been waiting to make this amuse-bouche for quite a while now.

———–

A few notes how I get inspired to create recipes and why I love this particular tartar:

  • I never get tired of ginger, and coriander in fish tartars.
  • How can you go wrong with lime?
  • The pink peppercorns are not only pretty, but they are a great touch added both in taste and texture. So is cayenne pepper.
  • The acidic taste provided by the apple comes as a nice contrast to the more neutral taste of the fish. The crunchiness next to the softness of the salmon works in the same way.
  • The radish enhances the overall gentle spiciness.
  • I also like my dishes to be balanced in colors, so always think under these terms when choosing ingredients.

salmon tartar fish prawn crackers

Gingered Salmon Tartar with Radish and Green Apple

(For 4 people as amuse-bouche)

You need:

  • 7 oz (1/2 lb) extra fresh pink salmon, skinned and diced
  • 1/2 green organic apple — Granny Smith — cut in small sticks
  • 1 pink radish, diced thinly
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 inch ginger grated
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1.5 Tbsp avocado oil (or use a neutral one if you cannot find avocado)
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 1 Tbsp coriander, chopped
  • A dash of cayenne pepper
  • Lemon juice (for the apple)
  • Pink peppercorns
  • Prawn crackers (to make or bought made)

Steps:

  • In a bowl, mix together the fish sauce, avocado oil, lime juice and zest, ginger and add a dash of cayenne. Keep.
  • Dice the fish.
  • Wash the radish and dice it thinly.
  • Chop the scallion.
  • Wash the apple and without peeling it, cut it in long sticks (sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice to avoid oxidation).
  • Chop the coriander thinly.
  • Mix all above prepared ingredients together in a bowl, and add the sauce. Toss well and place in the fridge for 30 min.
  • Take prawn crackers (make them by following the instructions on the package or use already made ones) and serve the tartar on a cracker.
  • Top with extra coriander and pink peppercorns.
    • Le coin français
    Tartare de saumon au gingembre, radis et pomme verte

    (Pour 4 personnes, en amuse-bouche)

    Ingrédients :

    • 200 g de saumon extra frais, sans peau et coupé en dés
    • 1/2 pomme verte bio — Granny Smith — coupée en bàtonnets
    • 1 gros radis rose, coupé en petits dés
    • 1 oignon tige
    • 2,5 cm de racine de gingembre, râpée finement
    • 1 càs de sauce nuoc-mâm
    • 2 càs de jus de citron vert
    • 1.5 càs d’huile d’avocat (ou toute huile neutre de goût si vous ne trouvez pas d’huile d’avocat)
    • Zeste d’un citron vert
    • 1 càs de coriandre, hachée
    • Une pincée de piment de cayenne
    • Jus de citron (pour la pomme)
    • Quelques baies roses
    • Beignets de crevettes (à faire ou déjà préparés)

    Étapes :

  • Dans un bol, mélangez le gingembre, la sauce nuoc mam, l’huile d’avocat, le jus de citron vert et son zeste et une pincée de cayenne. Réservez.
  • Coupez le poisson en petits dés.
  • Lavez le radis et coupez-le en petits dés (brunoise).
  • Hachez l’oigon tige.
  • Lavez la pomme et sans la peler, coupez-la en bâtonnets fins (arrosez de quelques gouttes de jus de citron pour éviter qu’elle ne noircisse).
  • Hachez la coriandre finement.
  • Mélangez tous les ingrédients ci-dessus dans un saladier. Mettez au frais pendant 30 min.
  • Prenez vos beignets de crevettes (faites-les en suivant les instructions sur le paquet ou utilisez-en des touts faits) et servez le tartare dessus.
  • Ajoutez de la coriandre et des baies roses.
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    66 Comments »

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    1. Un jour je suis allée chez Tang avec une personne originaire d’Asie, quel bonheur, car elle m’a permis de découvrir beaucoup de produits que je ne connaissais pas !

      Comment by Fabienne — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:28 pm

    2. Jamais eu l’idée de prendre les koupouks comme supports d’amuse-gueules… Merci!!! Et c’est très joliment présenté, comme toujours.
      P.S.- les beignets sont quand même meilleurs faits à la maison. C’est super facile, avec un wok de l’huile et des sopalins. Et quand ils sont tièdes c’est meilleur (peut-être parce qu’à la maison ils n’ont jamais eu l’occasion de refroidir :-)

      Comment by Thérèse — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

    3. Going to Asian Food Stores is always fun. All those interesting looking packages and delights hidden within, it’s really one big adventure. I always buy pocky :) , my favourite Asian junk food.

      Comment by Jelena — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:46 pm

    4. I love those chips. I remember going to the store with my parents to get them and playing the the “plastic” chips before we fried them up to perfection! Yum!

      Comment by yaiAnn — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    5. beautiful! I adore those chips too.

      Comment by nika — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    6. Wow! Quel délice. Un peu plus, et je grimpais dans l’écran pour aller en chercher un morceau! lol

      Comment by Johane — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:49 pm

    7. Were you by chance at Super 88? if so…LOVE that place. :P

      Comment by Babs — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:52 pm

    8. Fabulous! I’m guessing you went to the giant 88 Supermarket near BU? I often go to the one in South Bay — my absolute favorite store. I love these shrimp chips, too — watching them puff up in oil makes me feel like a child! You’ve created a truly beautiful amuse bouche, too.

      Comment by Lydia — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:53 pm

    9. So that is what they are called! My stepmother used to make them all the time, I just like to watch them fry up.

      Comment by priscilla — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:58 pm

    10. i felt like i was on the journey to buy the prawn chips. they are perfect.

      Comment by chutneycarnival — On April, 17th, 2007 at 3:59 pm

    11. encore une association riche en saveurs et en couleurs à laquelle je n’aurais pas pensé!! mais encore une que je vais essayer, sois en sûre
      j’en profite pour te dire que je t’ai invitée à un petit questionnaire, si le coeur t’en dis, bien sûr!

      Comment by Alhya — On April, 17th, 2007 at 4:18 pm

    12. this post reminded me of my childhood, my mom would fry some of these up for our snacks, aren’t they cool? I’m glad you were able to find them :) this looks gorgeous

      Comment by Kat — On April, 17th, 2007 at 5:54 pm

    13. I love success stories! These look fantastic!

      Comment by Brilynn — On April, 17th, 2007 at 6:53 pm

    14. Heehee, I always loved watching my mom fry these things up. I’m glad your story has a happy ending!

      Comment by Susan — On April, 17th, 2007 at 8:08 pm

    15. Oh yes please!
      The bright pink peppercorns make me think pomegranate seeds would be great tossed in there too.

      Comment by McAuliflower — On April, 17th, 2007 at 8:13 pm

    16. Quand on va au resto asiatique ici, je n’en voie jamais. Imagine combien de paquets j’englouti quand je vais en France. Mais alors la les faire soi meme comme ca c’est genial! Ah si seulement j’habitais dans ton coin, j’en prendrais au mojns 2-3 paquets! Je vais essayer de voir si j’en trouve sur internet.
      Les photos elles meme sont a croquer!

      Comment by Helen — On April, 17th, 2007 at 8:22 pm

    17. I love prawn chips (that is what I have always called them). I have only had them at restaurants. I am always eager to deep fry anything. I have to find them pre-fried like you described.

      Comment by Eric (Eager Eater) — On April, 17th, 2007 at 10:02 pm

    18. Those are indeed called shrimp crackers in India too…in fact, we have rice crackers, lentil crackers, tapioca crackers…and various others that we fry up all the time to eat with rice and curry

      Comment by Nabeela — On April, 18th, 2007 at 12:32 am

    19. I’ve eaten prawn crackers all my life, but never even contemplated using them for something like this! It sheds these humble crackers in a completely new light!

      Comment by Ellie — On April, 18th, 2007 at 12:38 am

    20. what i can say~ excellent!

      u often bring me so much light in front of my eyes~

      Comment by YOYO's Food — On April, 18th, 2007 at 1:31 am

    21. Certes ces chips sont bonnes, mais les chips aux crevettes indonésiennes sont encore meilleures : elles sont plus grandes, légèrement rosées. En fait, à base de vraies crevettes. La texture est identique, mais la chips est plus forte en goût.
      Hmm, rien que d’y penser…

      Comment by Lyna — On April, 18th, 2007 at 1:33 am

    22. Dis Béa, quand tu ouvres un restaurant ou si tu écris un livre, tu m’invites ????? c’est à nouveau magnifique. et en plus tu joues dans un régistre que j’adore….trop forte, bravo

      Bonne journée
      Claude

      Comment by Claude-Olivier — On April, 18th, 2007 at 2:20 am

    23. Ce tartare de saumon doit être délicatement parfumé, l’idée de le servir sur des chips en guise de petites coupelles est excellente!

      Comment by Lauriana — On April, 18th, 2007 at 2:26 am

    24. c’est encore une fois sublime !!!!

      Comment by sylvie — On April, 18th, 2007 at 3:08 am

    25. Great idea Bea! In my hometown of Hanoi, we did something very similar. Yours look excellent! Can’t be better!

      Comment by Anh — On April, 18th, 2007 at 3:13 am

    26. Oh Bea, these look wonderful. I can imagine your face when you opened the box. Did they look like mouthwash strips, the ones you put on your tongue? Thanks for your notes on how you come up with recipes.. I will keep those in mind.

      Comment by Cenk — On April, 18th, 2007 at 3:33 am

    27. I felt the same happy way like you when I fried the prawn crackers! They look like dancing!

      Comment by gattina — On April, 18th, 2007 at 3:58 am

    28. maggnifique!

      Comment by leonine19 — On April, 18th, 2007 at 4:40 am

    29. fantastic food…I know what I will make tonight!!! Thankyou

      Comment by aminah — On April, 18th, 2007 at 4:50 am

    30. encore une fois c’est superbe & original!
      Tu as vraiment une créativité débordante!

      Comment by loukoum°°° — On April, 18th, 2007 at 6:18 am

    31. Fantastic story and even more fantastic photos! :)

      Comment by Susan from Food "Blogga" — On April, 18th, 2007 at 7:25 am

    32. it s always so magic to look at the prawn craker blooming like a water lily. Congratulations for your fantastic pictures, I come on your page almost every day only to look at them and read your recipes… I definitely need to begin a food blog too.

      Comment by Aurelie — On April, 18th, 2007 at 7:26 am

    33. Wow, I didn’t know that prawn crackers can be this creative. :) Nice combinations!

      Comment by sue — On April, 18th, 2007 at 7:30 am

    34. Bea,

      This looks beautiful! And very interesting too! I’ve been having these crackers since young and have never thought of doing amuse-bouche like these with them. I always enjoyed them with a little sweet chilli sauce. In Singapore, we call them keropok(crackers) udang(prawn) in Malay.

      Great recipe and gorgeous photos!

      Comment by evinrude — On April, 18th, 2007 at 7:33 am

    35. Quelle jolie photo rafraîchissante!

      Comment by Mitsuko — On April, 18th, 2007 at 8:05 am

    36. I love prawn crackers too, but I like the pale pink ones better! Try it out next time. There is also a brown variety called fish crackers and they smell nasty.

      Comment by tommy — On April, 18th, 2007 at 8:08 am

    37. Je craque sur ces amuses bouche !

      Comment by bergeou — On April, 18th, 2007 at 10:06 am

    38. Bea,
      In Malay and Indonesian, they are called Kerupuk (or keropok). for prawns it is called kerupuk udang, for fish kerupuk ikan. There are also versions of kerupuk made of crabs and squids.I like the ones you got – the blue box with a large prawn on it has the right balance.
      There are also kerupuk made of fruits – a bitter one Indonesian (Sumatran)specialty called kerupuk melinjau.
      I like the way you described your experience. It reminded me of how my husband was the first time he saw me frying them – he said they look like flowers blooming.

      Comment by Lisa — On April, 18th, 2007 at 10:23 am

    39. Toujours une belle harmonie de couleurs et de saveurs, c’est très graphique tout pour me plaire !

      Comment by BCOMMEBON — On April, 18th, 2007 at 11:13 am

    40. Bea, you are a girl after my own heart! I first discovered shrimp chips in the Netherlands, and love-love-loved them!

      When I moved back to the states, I could only remember the Dutch word for them, and of course, nobody understood what I was asking for. I almost cried the first time I came across some.

      What a lovely, light recipe… perfect for summer!

      Comment by s'kat — On April, 18th, 2007 at 11:43 am

    41. We have lived near all sorts of ethnice neighborhoods – Chinese (predictably!) and Indian and Greek and so on – and I love wandering through the grocery shops and trying to figure out what everything is.

      I must say, the best visit I ever had was an Indian store where the shop owner, so enamoured over my interest, spent quite a long time telling me what different ingredients were and how to cook with them. Absolutely fascinating, isn’t it?

      Cheers!

      Comment by almost vegetarian — On April, 18th, 2007 at 12:59 pm

    42. This is just great inspiration!!!!!!! You did a very good work with the prawn cake–one of my favorite thing in the world.

      Truly beautiful composition.

      Comment by snow — On April, 18th, 2007 at 2:44 pm

    43. how could something this beautiful be junk food. Oh I do love prawn crackers…their flavor is simply addictive. I’ve never had it with salmon. Maybe if I make this this way I won’t eat the entire bag.

      Comment by veron — On April, 18th, 2007 at 2:50 pm

    44. Looks wonderful!
      It’s too beautiful to eat!

      catalyst0527.blogspot.com

      Comment by Catalyst0527 — On April, 18th, 2007 at 2:59 pm

    45. Thank you all so much for your comments and telling me about variants, including names in Malay and Indonesian. I feel so enriched with this information now! I will definitely search for more. If I like the prawn crackers, I can only love the others too!

      Merci encore à tous de vos commentaires!

      Comment by Béa — On April, 18th, 2007 at 3:35 pm

    46. Ooooh, they are too beautiful. It’s funny as I was thinking to use up my shrimp crackers in the panty and make some appetizers, but couldn’t think of any brilliant idea for the filling yet. Yours is so creative and inspiring. I will have to take your filling recipe and turn it into something Malaysian…hehe. I will post it on my blog if and when I know what to do!

      Thanks for this wonderful post and pictures, too.

      Comment by Rasa Malaysia — On April, 19th, 2007 at 12:55 am

    47. ohhh… i never realized that you make the shrimp crackers… they are so addictlivly tastey…

      Comment by connie — On April, 19th, 2007 at 5:19 am

    48. Rhoooo non, c’est trop beau Béa ! J’aime tout ! Tes derniers billets, autant le fraisier, que ta dernière déclinaison pomme-mangue, que ce tartare de saumon qui me rappelle les sushis et les sashimis de mon japonais préféré que je vais bien vite revoir une fois Bébé arrivé (plus que 20 jours maxi à patienter, héhé…) ;O)))

      Merci pour toutes ces recettes et ces magnifiques photos que tu partages avec nous tous sur ton blog, c’est un véritable régal pour les yeux !

      Amicalement blog,
      Ingrid

      Comment by Ingrid — On April, 19th, 2007 at 6:16 am

    49. Ok, now you’ve got to be done. Surely this is the last time you’ve blown my mind. Plastic disks turn into those light airy things that I love! But maybe it’s your topping that is even more mind blowing…that stuff looks incredible! What a fun time in the store!

      Comment by Tanna — On April, 19th, 2007 at 7:55 am

    50. I love shrimp chips too! I like them with a mango salsa. I”ll have to try your version and sneak some mango in it!!

      Comment by Steamy Kitchen — On April, 19th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

    51. That looks very much like Vietnamese shrimp goi (salad), which is often served on prawn crackers. I also make an octopus & green papaya salad and serve it on the prawn crackers.

      Comment by Wondercam — On April, 19th, 2007 at 2:58 pm

    52. What a cute story! I love these chips too but I had no idea you could make them at home. That’s pretty neat. :D Your photo is gorgeous, so colorful!

      Comment by Amy — On April, 19th, 2007 at 6:09 pm

    53. Très étonnant comme préparation! Je suis curieuse d’essayer. Il est tellement agréable de s’émerveiller de la sorte!

      Comment by Ninnie — On April, 19th, 2007 at 7:23 pm

    54. Stunning!! I have always loved watching these bubble up as they go into the oil, well it’s just like magic!! These look so incredible, so impressive and you know how I adore salmon, I may have to make these for our dinner tomorrow!

      Comment by Bron — On April, 19th, 2007 at 10:39 pm

    55. Je n’avais jamais pensé à utiliser les beignets de crevettes de la sorte, c’est une super idée ! Je te pique aussi ta recette de tartare, j’aime beaucoup le saumon cru :)

      Comment by Le confit c'est pas gras — On April, 20th, 2007 at 3:14 am

    56. Simply beautiful!

      Great story too. You had to be ecstatic when you saw them pop open in the oil! :)

      Comment by Laura — On April, 20th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

    57. j’ai moi aussi déjà fait un tartare de saumon à la pomme verte et j’ai adoré! je retiens ta présentation très originale!

      Comment by Mirabelle — On April, 20th, 2007 at 3:47 pm

    58. Frying them youself is healthier too!! (if fried food can be said to be healthy… ) You can choose the oil to fry them in for one. Plus frying them yourself ensures that reused oil is not used. Factories that make prawn crackers tend to use the same oil for quite a few batches… so the oil is not that good

      Comment by Lillian — On April, 21st, 2007 at 9:50 am

    59. You’ve done something so beautifully creative with the simple prawn cracker we so often take for granted.

      Comment by Piegirl — On April, 21st, 2007 at 3:59 pm

    60. c’est vraiment spendide!! biises micky

      Comment by mickymath — On April, 21st, 2007 at 5:52 pm

    61. Bonjour tout le monde! Est-ce que la pate pour les raviolis se conserve bien au frigo ou au congelateur et pour combien de temps? J’ai jamais essayer de la garder mais j’aimerai bien en faire bp pour utiliser plus tard…

      Comment by Amor — On April, 23rd, 2007 at 2:56 pm

    62. [...] – not everyday occurences. For three days now, I’ve been trying out this lovely ginger salmon tartar recipe, sans the chips. It is, simply, a gorgeous dish, and very satisfying when you add more vege [...]

      Pingback by Lakeside Ling :: On Surf and Turf… :: April :: 2007 — On April, 24th, 2007 at 9:49 am

    63. on a créé presque la même recette, sans les chips pour moi. Les grands esprits se rencontrent ;-)
      http://bonheursdesophie.canalblog.com/archives/2007/04/08/4563289.html
      Tu as raison, la granny avec le saumon, c’est délicieusement frais

      Comment by bonheursdesophie — On April, 30th, 2007 at 12:32 am

    64. These prawn crackers are very common in Southeast Asia. I always force my Indonesian friends to buy some for me whenever they come over to Singapore. There is another type which I like better, the strips kind. And after frying, it resembles french fries! Very yummy!

      Comment by Mrs Ergül — On June, 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    65. Bea, I hope you don’t mind, but I made your recipe, with little minor changes dictated by what I forgot to but, and I followed your plating idea. Please take it as a compliment, and not as plagiarism. I was looking for these crakers for months now and finally made the recipe tonight. I had them so many times as a kid, so I went to China town to get them, and went thru a very similar story searching the stores. Thanks a lot.

      Comment by roxana — On July, 16th, 2008 at 3:36 am

    66. [...] So much so that, well determined to prepare the dish at home, I once again set myself to go on a food quest to my nearby Asian store — I feel blessed to have it — but this time to buy large rice noodles used in the [...]

      Pingback by Lunch for Two with a Rice Noodle Soup — Déjeuner à deux avec une soupe aux nouilles de riz by La Tartine Gourmande — On July, 31st, 2008 at 9:03 am

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