When I have been traveling or away from my kitchen for any stretch of time, I like to prepare some simple, light dishes that help me reset after some indulging!
Today’s recipe for Turkey Larb Lettuce Cups fits that description. I made a big batch of it on Monday after returning from some time away. We enjoyed it for dinner and warmed it up for lunch later in the week. You can even eat it cold. Yummy.
So what is Turkey Larb?
Larb is Thai for meat salad. This recipe is made with ground, dark meat turkey that is sauteed and then tossed with a light sauce consisting of fresh lime juice, fish sauce, sriracha sauce and some sugar. Sweet, sour, salt and spice are all at play making the dish extremely flavorful. Scallions are added to the cooked turkey and the Larb is served in lettuce cups garnished with thin slices of red onion and lots of fresh herbs. The dish is pretty to look at and really fun to eat although you’ll need some napkins!
The turkey can be swapped out with pork or even beef, but if you are using turkey I would seek out the dark meat ground turkey called for in the recipe or just ground turkey. Stay away from ground turkey breast which is all white meat and will make your Larb dry.
To make the meal more substantial, you can prepare some brown or white rice and serve it on the side or add it into your lettuce cups to absorb some of the sauce!
The recipe I am sharing is originally from GOOP. I have modified it to serve more people and added some fresh mint for garnish which I think enhances the flavor even more. You can easily double my recipe once again for a bigger crowd.
Light, flavorful and delicious? I hope you make this Turkey Larb Lettuce Cups really soon and let me know what your family thinks!
Until next week…
Two Years Ago: Apricot Chicken
Turkey larb comes together very quickly and makes for a light and flavorful lunch or dinner. Instead of turkey, you can try it with ground pork or even beef. All white meat ground turkey may not be ideal as it has a low fat content and may be dry. Serve the Turkey Larb with rice on the side or add the rice or another grain right into the lettuce cup to absorb some of the delicious juices! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Juice of 2 small limes plus extra for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, more or less to taste
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- Olive oil
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 10 leaves butter lettuce, about 1 head
- thinly sliced red onion
- Handful of cilantro leaves
- Handful of mint leaves
- Handful of basil leaves (Thai basil if you can find it)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, sugar, sriracha and fish sauces. Set aside.
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and the garlic and cook, stirring until the meat is browned and cooked through.
- Pour the reserved sauce over the turkey and warm through for 2 minutes until the sauce starts to be absorbed by the meat. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the sliced scallions.
- Divide the turkey mixture among the lettuce leaves. Garnish with the red onions and lots of herbs. Serve with extra limes.
I just made this and it was a wonderful quick dinner and a big hit with my family!! Thank you Val!
I am so happy to hear this, Francine! Thanks for letting me know!
This sounds delicious Val! I’m going to try it next week…and your photos are beautiful.
Thank you, Francine!
I can’t wait to try it. Your photos are beautiful Val.
Thank you, Ellen! xo