Donal Skehan's light and tasty LA bites – Vietnamese summer rolls, lemon and dill salmon and mango and coconut cake

Irish Independent

23-05-2025

Being back with family, closer to home, raising the boys here — there's nothing that could beat it for this chapter of our lives. But if I'm being honest, when we're in the depths of a damp, grey winter, I find myself pining a little for the breezy, sun-soaked lifestyle we left behind.
One thing I do hang onto, though, is the food. My life in LA was spent chasing down the best bites the sprawling city had to offer. Fresh, diverse, vibrant, full of colour and life — California knows how to do food. The cooking I did out there was based on simple ingredients put together for alfresco eating. And that's exactly what these recipes are about: little flashes of West Coast ease.
First up, Vietnamese summer rolls instantly transport me back to warm days. The rice paper rolls are stuffed with crunchy veg, juicy prawns and a fistful of fresh herbs. They're light, bright and totally addictive, especially with a sweet, salty, punchy dipping sauce — plus they are ideal for making ahead.
For something a little heartier and lovely to serve to a crowd alfresco, lemon and dill salmon with green goddess dressing is the kind of platter you could happily bank for the summer and serve on repeat. Perfectly baked salmon fillets coated in lemon zest and fresh dill, served with buttery potatoes and green beans. The star of the show is a creamy, herby green goddess dressing: avocado, basil, chives, a little anchovy for depth — just the thing to slather over everything in sight. It's fresh, light and the kind of dinner that makes you feel like you've made it onto the set of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
And, of course, you can't have California without something a bit tropical and fruity to finish. My mango and coconut cake is a little slice of sunshine: rich with coconut, packed with juicy mango, but still somehow light enough that you'll convince yourself a second slice is practically medicinal.
Vietnamese Summer Roll Platter
Cook time: 40 minutes Serves: 20
Ingredients
½ tin coconut milk
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 lemongrass stalks, white part finely chopped
1cm piece ginger, finely diced
1 red chilli, finely diced
250g raw king prawns
Pinch of salt
For the dipping sauce:
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 Thai red chillies, finely sliced
1cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp light brown or palm sugar
6 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
For the satay sauce:
Sesame oil
1 garlic clove
1cm piece of ginger
Pinch of chilli flakes
½ tin coconut milk
75g peanut butter
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
To assemble:
150g vermicelli rice noodles, cooked according to packet instructions
½ head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
1 carrot, julienned
3 mini cucumbers, peeled into strips
100g bean sprouts
Large handful of coriander, leaves picked
Large handful of mint, leaves picked
20 rice paper wrappers
100g peanuts, pounded in a pestle and mortar
Method
1. For the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.
2. For the satay sauce, add a little sesame oil to a small saucepan over a medium heat and fry the garlic, ginger and chilli for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the coconut milk and heat together for a few minutes, then remove from the heat and stir through the remaining ingredients. Leave to cool slightly and then blend until smooth with a hand blender. Set aside.
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3. Place the coconut milk for the prawns, along with all the aromatics into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Add the prawns and a pinch of salt, then cook for 3-4 minutes until the prawns are cooked through and pink. Leave to cool, then slice the prawns in half lengthways and set aside.
4. When ready to assemble, mix the vermicelli, iceberg lettuce, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, most of the herbs and a drizzle of sesame oil in a bowl until combined.
5. Place the rice paper in water until softened. On a dry surface, add the prawns, facing outwards for presentation, followed by a few reserved herb leaves and a little of the salad. Fold the side of the wrapper in and roll up into a spring roll shape. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up.
6. Alternatively, serve the fillings at the table and allow everyone to build their own.
7. Serve the sauces on the side for dipping along with any extra salad and herbs and the crushed peanuts.
Lemon & Dill Salmon with Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets
1 lemon, plus extra wedges for serving
Small handful of fresh dill, plus extra to serve
For the green goddess dressing:
75g mayonnaise
75g sour cream
1 tbsp chives
Small handful of fresh basil leaves
2 anchovies
1 avocado
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
To serve:
750g baby potatoes
200g green beans
50g butter
Method
1. In the jug of a high-speed blender, blitz all the ingredients for the green goddess dressing together until smooth and creamy, then set aside in a bowl.
2. Get a pot of salted water to boil, halve the baby potatoes and add to the pot. Then cook for 20-25 minutes until tender. Add the green beans for the last 5 minutes of the cooking time, then drain everything and place into a bowl with the butter and some salt and pepper — stirring to combine and melt the butter.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas Mark 5. Place the salmon fillets on a tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then place into the oven to cook for 8-10 minutes. You can also do this in the air fryer — place the salmon into the air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 180C.
4. While the salmon cooks, zest the lemon into a bowl and add the chopped dill and a small drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Halve the lemon and stir the juice through the green goddess dressing.
5. When the salmon is cooked, coat it in the lemony-dill mixture and serve straight away with the green goddess dressing, potatoes and green beans. Garnish with a little extra dill and some lemon wedges for squeezing.
Mango & Coconut Cake
For the coconut cake:
3 large eggs
150g caster sugar
100g dairy-free sunflower spread, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
100g desiccated coconut
Juice of 1 orange
50g gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp gluten-free baking powder
For the passion fruit frosting:
100g dairy-free sunflower spread
200g icing sugar, sifted
Generous pinch of sea salt flakes
½ tsp vanilla extract
2-3 passion fruits, halved, pulp scooped out and sieved to remove the seeds
To decorate:
1 large firm ripe mango, peeled, cut into thin slices
1 passion fruit, halved
1 heaped tbsp lightly toasted coconut curls (optional)
Method
1. This can be made as a dairy-free cake, but feel free to use real butter in place of the dairy-free spread. When I can't find passion fruit in the shops, I often zest up a lime and toss the mango slices with the fine strands and a good squeeze of the juice.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/ Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a 20cm square non-stick baking tin and then lightly dust with flour or lime with parchment paper.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sunflower spread, desiccated coconut and orange juice and beat again until well-mixed.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder into another bowl and fold into the egg mixture, using a large metal spoon. Transfer to the prepared baking tin and bake for about 20 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown and a thin metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, make the passion fruit frosting. Place the sunflower spread in a free-standing mixer. Add half the icing sugar and mix for 1 to 2 minutes to combine. Switch off the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the salt and vanilla extract. Switch back on again, add the rest of the icing sugar and mix until combined. Drizzle in enough of the sieved passion fruit purée to make a nice smooth frosting, scraping down the sides again with the spatula if necessary. Cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.
6. To serve, spread the passion fruit frosting over the cake with a spatula and then arrange the mango slices on top. Spoon over the passion fruit pulp and scatter with the lightly toasted coconut curls, if using.