Hong Kong Style Potato Salad 港式薯仔沙律 is also known as 大蝦沙律 “prawn salad” or 雜果沙律 “mixed fruit salad” in Hong Kong. It’s a combination of the western potato salad and an Ambrosia salad. In basic terms, it’s a potato salad that’s sweet with prawns or shrimp, egg and fruit. I remember finding western potato salad strange tasting because it was savoury; but it grew on me. So, maybe some of you may find a sweetened potato salad strange too. But, I think most of you will find it refreshing.
It started in the 1960’s in Hong Kong. Some high end western restaurants served a lobster salad in the shell mixed with potatoes, eggs and mayonnaise. Hong Kong cafés started making it with more affordable shrimp and canned fruit salad to give it sweetness and colour. Chinese seafood restaurants started offering it as an appetizer and made it a tad bit higher end with fresh fruit and prawns.
I used to make this dish with canned peaches because I love canned peaches (I never said I was sophisticated). A few years ago, I saw that small Hami melons became available here in Canada. Hami melons (哈密瓜 hā mì guā) are Chinese cantaloupes. They have a crispy texture and subtle sweetness. It was the perfect fresh fruit to add to my recipe. I also added an Ambrosia or Envy apple to add more bite and some tang to the overall taste. With the addition of little bite sized quail eggs, I found my perfect combination.
In my Hong Kong Style Potato Salad 港式薯仔沙律, I used the melon for a bowl and it looked really cute. It helps make it look fresh and healthy, so your guests can look past the mayonnaise! I also added some tobiko on top to show off the seafood aspect of it too. This salad is not only beautiful on the outside, the inside tastes just as beautiful!
Hong Kong Style Potato Salad 港式薯仔沙律 pairs perfectly with my Hong Kong Style Borscht with Oxtail 牛尾羅宋湯 soup. Try it and see if you agree.
Hong Kong Style Potato Salad 港式薯仔沙律
Ingredients
- 1 Hami melon (the one in the photo was 1778 g)
- 200 g Shrimp or prawns, shelled and deveined
- 1 Apple , approx. 300 g
- 600 g Potatoes
- 1 c Mayonnaise (I used Japanese mayonnaise, Kewpie brand)
- 12 Quail eggs
- 1 ½ tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Tobiko (flying fish roe), for garnish
Instructions
- Boil or steam potatoes until cooked. Set aside and let cool
- Boil or steam shrimp until cooked. Set aside and let cool
- Boil some water in a pot. Add eggs when water starts to boil. Roll them gently in the water. Quail eggs will be done in approx. 3 minutes. Chicken eggs will take approx. 7-8 minutes. Timing is based on cold eggs from the fridge.
If you want to be able to peel your eggs nicely without the whites sticking to the shell, then put them in boiling water to cook. Roll them around so that the egg yolk will settle in the middle of the egg instead of on one side - When the eggs are done, remove them from the pot and rinse in cold water. Set aside and let cool
- Wash the outside of Hami melon and dry with a towel
- For making hami melon bowl (optional): make a horizontal cut that will leave you with one large portion that will be the bowl and one small portion that will be the lid.
- For making hami melon bowl (optional) slice a little piece off the bottom so that it can sit steadily.
- Use a melon baller to make melon balls. Place into a large mixing bowl. Set some aside for decorating, if desired
- For making hami melon bowl (optional): scrape the inside of the hami melon clean. Set aside
- Peel potatoes and dice. Put into mixing bowl
- Peel quail eggs. Using a thin teaspoon may help. Add to mixing bowl. Set some aside for decorating, if desired
- Dice apple and place in mixing bowl
- Add shrimp to mixing bowl. Set some aside for decorating, if desired
- Measure 1 cup of mayonnaise in a container. Add 1 ½ tsp of sugar and mix well.
This salad is a tad on the sweet side but it’s not necessary to add sugar. The regular granulated sugar should dissolve in the mayonnaise within half an hour - Add the mayonnaise to the contents in the mixing bowl and mix with a rubber spatula to minimize breakage
- Spoon into the prepared hami melon bowl (optional).
Not all of my salad fit into the bowl which is great because I saved it for lunch the next day - Decorate the top
- Sprinkle some tobiko on top
- Serve
Leave a Reply