Description
This vibrant and refreshing Turkey Salad uses leftover roast turkey combined with crisp vegetables and fresh herbs, dressed in a tangy fish sauce and lime dressing. It’s a quick, no-cook recipe perfect for a light lunch or dinner, featuring a balance of savory, sweet, and spicy flavors served on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 2 cups diced leftover roast turkey (about 10 ounces)
- 1 Persian cucumber or ⅓ European cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
- 1 large shallot, sliced thin
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup roughly chopped mint leaves
- 2 Tablespoons crispy shallots
- 1-2 Thai bird or other chili, minced (optional)
- 6 lettuce leaves or a small head of lettuce cut in wedges (washed and dried)
Dressing
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 minced Thai bird chili
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a bowl, combine minced garlic, fish sauce, fresh lime juice, sugar, and minced Thai bird chili. Stir thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the flavors meld together.
- Mix the salad ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the diced leftover roast turkey, cucumber matchsticks, carrot matchsticks, sliced radishes, thinly sliced shallot, chopped cilantro and mint leaves, crispy shallots, and optional minced chili. Pour the prepared dressing over these ingredients.
- Toss the salad: Lightly toss all the salad ingredients with the dressing to ensure everything is evenly coated without bruising the delicate herbs and vegetables.
- Prepare the serving base: Divide the washed and dried lettuce leaves onto two serving plates or arrange on a large platter if serving family-style.
- Serve: Mound the dressed turkey salad onto the lettuce leaves. Serve immediately to enjoy the freshness and crunchy textures.
Notes
- Using leftover roast turkey makes this salad a great way to use up holiday or dinner leftovers.
- The level of heat can be adjusted by altering the amount of Thai bird chili or omitting it altogether for a milder dish.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute turkey with tofu or tempeh and replace fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari.
- This salad is best eaten fresh to maintain the crisp textures of the vegetables and lettuce.
- If unavailable, European cucumbers can be replaced with standard cucumbers, peeled and seeded.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
