Heirloom Tomatoes With Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Recipe from Melissa King

Adapted by Genevieve Ko

Updated August 5, 2026

  • Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
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Ready In
20 min
Rating
5(99)
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The chef Melissa King captures the scent and flavor of ripe summer tomatoes in this savory dish inspired by a green papaya salad she learned to cook in Thailand and the Vietnamese nuoc cham she grew up with in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. Adapted from a recipe in her book, “Cook Like a King: Recipes From My California Chinese Kitchen” (Ten Speed Press, 2025), this juicy salad, crunchy with peanuts and fried shallots, can be turned into a more filling meal with the addition of cooked and cooled rice noodles. Ms. King suggests tossing everything with olive oil-fried bread crumbs for a sort-of panzanella. She also recommends adding very thinly sliced fresh makrut lime leaves for their aroma if you can find them. —Genevieve Ko

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the fish sauce vinaigrette

  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot

  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sugar or honey

  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and finely ground black pepper

  • 1 to 2 fresh Thai chiles (optional), thinly sliced

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad

  • 2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into pretty pieces

  • Handful of mint or shiso leaves, finely chopped

  • Handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems or Thai basil leaves, finely chopped

  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

  • Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

  • ¼ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

  • ¼ cup fried shallots, homemade or store-bought

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

23 grams carbs; 240 calories; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 724 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 15 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, combine the garlic and shallot with the lime juice and let sit for 2 minutes to tame their sharpness. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, salt, a few turns of pepper and the chiles (if using). Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until emulsified. (The vinaigrette will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

  2. Step 2

    Make the salad: Add the tomatoes, mint and cilantro to the vinaigrette bowl. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of pepper, and toss gently but well.

  3. Step 3

    Arrange the tomatoes in a large, shallow bowl in an even layer and pour the vinaigrette over them. Generously drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little flaky salt. Sprinkle on the peanuts and shallots, and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
99 user ratings
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Comments

Sapelo

Exceeded all expectations. The fish sauce melts away into the lime in the most lovely, salty, perfect tomato juice dressing. We added a cucumber for extra crunch and ate the whole salad straight from the bowl leaning on the counter in the kitchen. It was that good!

Jack

We made this tonight and added cucumber and arugula. The nuoc cham dressing mixed with tomato juices was an amazing combination. This one is a keeper!

Nat Stone

Try serving with sticky rice to soak up all the delicious tomato juices and dressing.

Zaahira

Added some tofu to up the protein. Delish!

BLcle

This was delicious! For the two of us, I used two good sized tomatoes but made the full amount of sauce. I prepped the tomatoes per the recipe, using half the sauce. To serve, I put cold rice noodles in each of our bowls and topped with the tomatoes, lots of mint and cilantro, and sautéed shrimp. Then I drizzled additional sauce over each bowl and added crispy onions. I did not add the peanuts and did not miss them. We will definitely repeat. , served it over cold rice noodles, and topped with sautéed shrimp. I made the full sauce recipe to first toss with the tomatoes and then drizzle over the entire bowl. Made double the sauce to have leftovers Use plenty of herbs Did not use peanuts

Dave F

This was fantastic. Delicious and not difficult to make. I used vegan fish sauce and didn't have any fresh chiles so used a teaspoon of spicy ground New Mexican chile. Used fresh Thai basil and mint from the garden. The tartness of the lime, the crispy shallots (actually, I just used French's fried onions from the store), the spice of the chile powder all worked together really well. Will definitely make this again!

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Credits

“Cook Like a King: Recipes From My California Chinese Kitchen” (Ten Speed Press, 2025)

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