Recipe | Pomelo, Herb and Prawn Salad with Toasted Peanuts & Chilli Oil

Pomelos are the largest of all citrus fruits, with an exceptionally thick, dense, and surprisingly spongy rind. They are currently in season, and gifting them is a Lunar New Year tradition, as they are believed to bring good fortune. Closely related to the grapefruit, pomelos were in fact used to cultivate grapefruits, which were originally bred by crossing pomelos with oranges.

Despite their impressive size, they are straightforward to prepare – once you cut through the rind and peel it back, the leathery pith can be easily removed to reveal the flesh beneath. 

The base of this salad is fragrant leafy herbs such as mint, coriander, and basil (use Thai basil if you can find it). Chunks of pomelo are then gently folded in along with avocado and finely sliced red onion. Everything is brought together with a simple lime dressing, then crunchy peanuts and crispy chilli oil add texture and a hit of flavour. The pan-fried prawns are, of course, optional.  

If pomelo proves difficult to source, the salad works beautifully with the juicier, though slightly shaper in flavour grapefruit instead.  

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a side dish, 3 as a light lunch
½ medium sized red onion, thinly sliced 
1 pomelo – any colour
1 gem lettuce, leaves torn
Large handfuls coriander, mint, basil (approx. 30g of each), picked from their stalks
1 avocado, thinly sliced 
40g salted peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped 
2 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil + extra to cook the prawns. 
2 limes
tsp honey 
Sea salt and black pepper  

To finish (optional): 
165g raw Prawns
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Crispy chilli oil  

Instructions

1. Mix the sliced onions with the juice of half a lime and a pinch of salt. Scrunch together then set aside to soften for 10 minutes while you prepare your pomelo. 
2. To open the pomelo, slice off the pointy end of the fruit, then score down the sides of the pomelo right into the rind (8 scores is a good aim) which should enable you to peel it off entirely. Use your fingers pull apart the segments and pull the pomelo flesh away from pith – use a paring knife to help where necessary. Don’t worry if it breaks up, you’ll want bite-sized pieces for the salad anyway.  
3. Make your dressing by whisking together 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil with the rest of the lime you used for the onions as well as a squidge of honey. Season with salt and pepper.   
4. Add the lettuce, herbs, pomelo, avocado, onions and ¾ of the peanuts to a large mixing bowl with the dressing and toss together.   
5. Season your prawns and cook in a hot frying pan in a little rapeseed oil till browned and no longer grey, towards the end of cooking, add the garlic and zest over some lime. 
6. Plate up the salad on a platter or individual plates and top with the warm prawns, including any juices in the pan. Finish the dish with the chilli oil, more peanuts, and an extra squeeze of lime juice.  

Watch the pomelo salad recipe video on Instagram

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