Green Papaya Salad with Crab (Som Tam Pu)

Green papaya salad with sweet white crab meat in a funky, lime-sharp dressing with fermented fish sauce.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 25 min
Total: 25 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
✅
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 small green papaya, about 400g, peeled and deseeded
  • 150g fresh white crab meat
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 bird's eye chillies
  • 50g long beans or green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
  • 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Thai or small aubergine, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted roasted peanuts
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar or light brown soft sugar
  • 1 tbsp Thai fermented fish sauce (pla ra)
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 1/2 tbsp lime juice
  • cabbage leaves and cucumber, to serve

Method

  1. Shred the papaya into long, thin strands using a julienne peeler or the coarse side of a grater. Soak in iced water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

  2. Pound the garlic and chillies in a large pestle and mortar. Add the palm sugar and pound gently to break it down.

  3. Add the long beans and aubergine, if using, and bruise lightly. Stir in the fermented fish sauce, fish sauce and lime juice until the sugar dissolves.

  4. Add the papaya and tomatoes and pound gently, turning with a spoon, for about 1 minute.

  5. Gently fold in the crab meat and the peanuts. Taste and adjust with more lime juice or fish sauce.

  6. Serve at once with cabbage leaves and cucumber slices for scooping.