A refreshing and light Pomelo and Salmon Vermicelli Noodle Salad made for those days where you don’t want to actually cook anything. Filled with vegetables, herbs, hot-smoked salmon and pomelo with a punchy dressing, it’s a complete meal all on its own.

When I see pomelos, I remember Thailand and walking around eating huge pomelo wedges dipped in chilli salt. It was perfect for that hot and sticky climate.

This recipe on the other hand, is a very lazy, Thai-inspired noodle salad. The hot-smoked salmon in it makes it a complete meal, but if you’re not a fan you can sub it out for soy-marinated tofu or rotisserie chicken.

This was an on-the-fly dish that came together because I had to use the pomelo before it went bad, and I was in no mood to actually cook. So you know it’s a quick and easy, customisable meal too!

Why you’ll love this Pomelo and Salmon Vermicelli Noodle Salad

It’s a no-cook, complete meal. Great for summer evenings, sure, but also great for lazy evenings as it gives the illusion of cooking without actually cooking anything!
It’s customisable. change up the veggies, add beansprouts (why would you want to though?), swap the salmon out for tofu or chicken, or bake a nam jim flavoured salmon.
It’s quick and easy to make, with a cheat’s nam jim dressing.
You can make it ahead and dress it just before serving.
It’s naturally gluten free, depending on the fish sauce you’re using. To make it vegetarian, replace the fish sauce with soy sauce or vegetarian fish sauce.

What are Pomelos?

Pomelos are one of the oldest citrus fruit we know of. Called an ‘ancestor fruit’, the accidental cross-pollination of the pomelo with an orange is what gave us the grapefruit.

Native to Southeast Asia, pomelos are both larger and sweeter tasting than grapefruits. Other than the pith and bitter membrane surrounding the individual segments, every other part of the fruit, including the peel, can be used in cooking, much like all other citrus fruit.

This recipe calls for only half a pomelo. You can enjoy the other half by dipping it into a chilli-lime salt and eating it fresh, or you can make a Vietnamese slaw salad (goi).

A quick note on the seasonality of pommels: here in Australia, we do grow some that are available during the citrus winter months, but we’re also lucky to get imports from Southeast Asia during our summer months.

Ingredients you’ll need for this Pomelo and Salmon Vermicelli Noodle Salad

Pomelo. The reason this recipe came to be. They can take a bit of time to de-pith, but the sweet-tart-bitter flavour the fruit adds is complex and refreshing. Could easily be substituted for oranges or even tangerines if that’s what you have on hand or can find.

Rice vermicelli. Regular or brown rice variety both work, it’s up to your personal likes and what’s in your pantry. Somen noodles or soba noodles could work also, but nothing thicker (not enough sauce).

Vegetables. I used julienned carrots and finely sliced cucumber, because again that’s what I had in the fridge. Add a mix of veggies and go for the crunchy ones, like carrot and cucumber, but also spring onions, bean sprouts and cabbage. Snow peas and capsicum may be unconventional, and not Thai-inspired at all, but would still work.

Herbs. Lots of mint and lots of coriander. Thai basil would also pair really well if you can get it. Add an extra finely sliced fresh red chilli to the salad if you like some heat.

Hot-smoked salmon. My choice of protein for this salad, but you can easily swap it out for soy-marinated tofu or pulled rotisserie chicken. Or leave the protein out and serve the pomelo noodle salad as a side.

Peanuts. I added some peanut for a salty, crunchy kick, but you can leave them out or sub them for cashews.

Dressing. This cheat’s nam jim has all the right ingredients, it’s just put together in the laziest of ways. You’ll need: garlic, chillies, sugar, fish sauce (or soy sauce), and lots of lime juice.

How to Make Pomelo and Salmon Vermicelli Noodle Salad

Cook the vermicelli rice noodles. Refer to the packet directions, but typically you just have to boil the raw noodles for about 4 minutes and then rinse well under cold water and drain. Don’t leave them unattended, these have a tendency to boil over.

Make the dressing. This is a cheat’s nam jim dressing. Traditionally, to prepare a nam jim, you use a mortar and pestle (or a food processor in a pinch) to make a coarse paste with the chillies and garlic and then add in the liquids and sugar. But here, I just finely chopped all the ingredients and mixed in fish sauce and lime juice with a little sugar. It’s a nam jim in spirit perhaps, but not in execution.

Segment the pomelo. You’ll only need half of the pomelo for this recipe, so cut it in half first. Then score four to five lines from the top to the tip, cutting through the pith beneath as well. Using your fingers, pry away the skin and pith. Clean off the rest of the pith and then separate the pomelo segments from the bitter membrane. Depending on the ripeness and type of pomelo you have, you might be able to extract larger pieces of the fruit, break them up so the chunks are bitesized.

Prep the veggies and herbs. Julienne the carrots, thinly slice the cucumber and roughly chop the herbs.

Prep the protein. Prepare your protein. In this instance, using the hot-smoked salmon, I just had to flake it apart and I was done.

Mix. Mix all the salad ingredients together, drizzle over the dressing and serve!

The full recipe, including measurements, is just below in the recipe card.

Love Asian-Inspired Salads? Try these as well:

Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad

Vietnamese Gỏi Salad with Prawns, Tofu and Pomelo

Pomelo Noodle Salad

Coconut Rice Salad with Green Mango

And a dressing: Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

If you make this Pomelo and Salmon Vermicelli Noodle Salad, please be sure to leave a comment and let me know. What mix of veggies and herbs did you use? Did you swap out the salmon for a different protein? Or tag me over on Instagram, I love seeing what you guys are making from the blog!