Citrus Nuoc Cham Recipe

6th January 2023

Tangy, sweet and spicy! This Vietnamese dressing can be used as a dip for summer sandwiches, or a fantastic salad or slaw dressing. Classic Vietnamese nước chấm has fish sauce which we have replaced with salty wakame seaweed for depth of flavour. The grapefruit and orange marmalade is another departure from a traditional recipe which adds a bit more sweetness. The juices and types of marmalade can be swapped depending on what you have.  

If you don’t like heat, then you can reduce it by using less or a milder form of chilli. You can also omit the chilli altogether.

Ingredients

1 tsp wakame soaked in 150 ml boiling water
2 limes – juice of both, outer zest of 1
1 grapefruit – juice
50 g marmalade
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp tamari
2 medium garlic cloves – finely chopped
2 birds eye chillis – finely chopped  

Method

1. Combine the lime juice, grapefruit juice, marmalade, vinegar, tamari, sugar and wakame with water in a pan.  

2. Gently heat the mixture just enough to dissolve the sugar.

3. Drain the mix through a sieve and cool.

4. Add the finely chopped chilli and garlic to the cooled dressing and leave to infuse for a minimum of 30 minutes before using.