Recipes
Photo by Alan Richardson
Thai Lime Dipping Sauce
Episode 105: Thai-Lime Dipping Sauce
This dipping sauce, fresh with herbs and tangy with lime, is Blue Ginger's most requested recipe. It's particularly awesome with our crispy calamari as well as with spring rolls, dumplings, and similar bites. It's based on the traditional Thai dip called cha-gio, which gets its savor from fish sauce. That salty ingredient is nicely balanced with lime juice.
The herbs darken as the sauce ages; this isn't a taste problem (quite the opposite, as the flavor deepens over time) but the sauce will lose its looks. If this bothers you, make and store the sauce "base" only, then chop and add herbs an hour before serving it. Or strain out any tired herbs from "old" sauce and replace them with fresh.
Makes about 5 cups
Lasts 1 week, refrigerated
Ingredients
2 cups Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
3 cups fresh or bottled lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
Directions
In a large non-reactive bowl, combine the ingredients and mix. Use or store.
Try It:
Add grapeseed oil to the sauce in the proportion of 2 oil to 1 sauce. You'll have a great vinaigrette that's perfect for seafood and celery-root salads.
Use the sauce for "ceviche cooking" cod, salmon, and Contessa Shrimp.
 
Marinate chicken legs and thighs in the sauce, then fry
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