The Great Lime Hoax (and green papaya salad)

At the farmer's market this weekend, I came across these lovely little gems. Their bright orange skin and flesh enticed me.

But don't be fooled, these are little limes. A cross between a lemon and a tangerine the Rangpur lime is super juicy, slightly sweet and can stand in for lime in any recipe.

I've been a bit of a podcast junky lately and have enjoyed listening to Spilled Milk, a silly foodie show starring Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton.

They did a show recently on Thai salads and hearing them describe the secrets of Thai dressings, I had to give it a go. The big secret? There is no fat in Thai dressings! No wonder my past salads didn't seem quite right.

So the dog and I headed down the street and picked some green papayas from a feral tree. This salad comes together in a matter of minutes but the bright, clean flavors stay with you.

My new favorite salad.

Green Papaya Salad
inspired by Spilled Milk
serves 2

1 green (unripe) papaya (softball sized)
1 tomato, chopped
1 green onion, white part cut very thin
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 TBL peanuts, chopped (almonds work, too)
2 TBl fresh cilantro

Dressing:
4 TBL fish sauce
4 TBL Rangpur lime juice (other limes work fine)
2 TBL agave
1tsp Sambal Oelek (chile paste)

Peel your green papaya. Cut in half and remove the seeds, then grate. Your papaya should have white seeds inside with light green flesh, the one pictured above was beginning to ripen, that's why it has some black seeds.

In a small bowl whisk dressing ingredients. Add vegetables and mix to combine. Top with peanuts and cilantro when ready to serve. This salad can be made up to one hour in advance. Enjoy!