Eating in Southeast Asia
Traveling through Vietnam in 2009 as a culinary tour leader was an interesting and heartwarming experience. The local people are so eager to share their country’s wonderful cuisine and culture and spend time with you. You’re treated more like a welcome guest than a tourist.
Back home in Phuket with my traveling companion, we rested and strolled on the beach and enjoyed the best food in Phuket: local seafood.
We were lucky to become friends with Chef Tony of the popular Rockfish Restaurant after savoring our first plate of his Thai crab salad. He generously agreed to share his recipe and do a cooking video for my newsletter to welcome our mango season here in America.
Chef Tony Wringley has been working at Rockfish Restaurant as executive chef for the past 6 months. His recipe was inspired by local and seasonal ingredients from Phuket Island such as local crab, fresh mango and coconut. Chef Tony has captured the flavors of the tropical island of Phuket with this Thai crab salad.
Thai Crab Salad with Mango and Shaved Coconut
Thai Crab Salad with Mango and Shaved Fresh Coconut Recipe
Yum Pu Mamuang Maprow
Recipe by Chef Tony Wrigley
Executive Chef, Rockfish Restaurant
Kamala Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Rockfish Restaurant
Serves: 1
½ cup cooked crab meat
½ cup diced mango, about half mango
¼ cup sliced red spur chili or Anaheim pepper
2 green onions, chopped into 1-inch long pieces
3 sprigs cilantro, torn into large pieces
10 Thai basil leaves or sweet basil, torn in half
¼ cup chili peanuts or dry roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice, about 1 lime
¼ cup fresh shaved coconut or dry coconut chips
1 teaspoon chili oil for presentation
Gently combine crab, mango, red spur chili, green onions, cilantro, Thai basil and chili peanuts. Add fish sauce, sugar, olive oil and lime juice, and fold just to mix. Place crab salad on the plate, garnish with shaved fresh coconut on top and decorate the plate with chili oil. Makes one serving.
How to shave fresh coconut with a peeler
© 2011 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai cooking Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com .
Pranee's Thai Kitchen 
i just love culinary travel…
Thank you for your comment. I love culinary travel very much. I am leaving again to do the same trip in February next year. Same itinerary but will be totally difference experience to share on my blog.
Pranee
PS I will also visit fresh market in Kamala Village also, the best market for fresh Thai curry pastes.
Really interesting read. Honest!
[…] Eat Southeast Asia Traveling through Vietnam in 2009 as a culinary tour leader was an interesting and heartwarming experience. The local people are so eager to share their country's wonderful cuisine and culture and spend time with you. You're treated more like a welcome guest than a tourist. Back home in Phuket with my traveling companion, we rested and strolled on the beach and enjoyed the best food in Phuket, local seafood. We were lucky to be … Read More […]