Recipe of the week

Thai chefs call bird’s eye chillies “scuds”, as in the missiles, says Sebby Holmes. They give this recipe a fiery kick – just be sure to keep them clear of your eyes!

Green nahm jim cured salmon with apple and dill

Serves 4 as a snack or a side 1 sour eating apple, grated 10g coriander leaves, roughly torn 10g mint leaves, roughly torn 200g salmon, bloodline and pin bones removed, sliced into 1cm-thick pieces 10g dill, chopped For the nahm jim (dipping sauce): 2 tbsps chopped coriander roots 8 garlic cloves, peeled 8 green bird’s eye chillies pinch of coarse sea salt 2 tbsps caster sugar juice of 5 limes juice of 2 mandarins (or clementines) 4 tbsps fish sauce

• First make the nahm jim. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the coriander roots, garlic and then chillies (in that order) to a coarse paste, using the salt as an abrasive, if necessary. Add the sugar and pound for a few more seconds, until you have a relatively smooth paste.

• Add the lime and mandarin juices and the fish sauce. The mixture should taste sweet, salty, sour and hot. Exact quantities are impossible to give, as the strength of the ingredients varies greatly; adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes.

• Divide the nahm jim dressing between two large bowls. In one, add the apple, coriander and mint; in the other, add the salmon and gently toss to ensure that all the fish is coated. Leave the salmon in the dressing for 1-2 minutes, then remove and gently toss in the apple and mint sauce. Serve on a large plate sprinkled with the dill.

Taken from Cook Thai by Sebby Holmes, published by Kyle Books at £19.99. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £16.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit www.theweek.co.uk/bookshop.