Mother's Day Brunch recipes from Butterfly chef Rob Lam

On Mother's Day, Butterfly chef/owner Rob Lam is preparing a delectable prix fixe brunch menu at his innovative Cal-Asian waterfront restaurant. Imagine starting with an "amusement" of house smoked salmon and strawberry salad roll; then having a green papaya and mango salad with Vietnamese carmelized shrimp; moving on to a main course of smoked salmon scramble with white and green asparagus, tobiko caviar and Texas toast; and finishing with "mom's home baked cookies and créme brulée." Chef Lam has also created a vegetarian menu just for the occasion. Both are $45.

And, here's something special. Chef Lam is sharing two Mother's Day brunch recipes so that you can prepare his dishes at home! You'll definitely want to add these to your recipe collection.

Butterfly's Green Papaya and Mango Salad with Vietnamese Carmelized Shrimp (yields 4 servings)

Green Papaya and Mango Salad

1 green papaya, peeled and julienned

1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced into 12 pieces

2 cups micro cilantro

2 shallots, peeled, julienned, and fried

Method: Peel the green papaya, cut in half and deseed. Use a mandolin with a julienne attachment to make fine shreds that are not too thick but not so thin that you lose the texture. Try to attain something in the shape of angel hair pasta. Set aside and chill.

Peel and cut the mango into two halves. Slice some of the extra fruit off of the seed to make total use of it and set aside. Slice the two halves of mango into equal portions, about eight slices per half. Set aside and chill.

Nuoc Cham Dressing

2 limes, juiced

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup sugar

½ cup fish sauce

1t garlic, minced

1t ginger, minced

1T Sriracha or hot chili paste

Method: Mix all ingredients and taste. Add more sugar or chili paste to taste. Set aside and chill.

Vietnamese Caramelized Shrimp

½ T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1T sugar

1T fish sauce

½ t black pepper

Method:

In a hot, seasoned pan add oil, garlic and shrimp. Sear one side and then add sugar, fish sauce and black pepper. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and shrimp is cooked through. Get ready to plate.

Plate Up:

Combine green papaya and mango scraps in a bowl and dress with Nuoc Cham. Check for seasoning. If necessary, add more dressing. On a rectangular plate, place four slices of mango across the plate at 1 inch intervals. Top the slices with a line of green papaya salad. Top that with 5 pieces of the caramelized shrimp. Top the shrimp with the micro cilantro and finish the plate with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce and some fried shallots.

Butterfly's Smoked Salmon and Strawberry Salad Rolls (yields 8 rolls)

1 pk. large rice paper

½ pk. rice noodles, blanched

1 pt. strawberries, sliced

¼ lb. smoked salmon, sliced

¼ bunch cilantro, cleaned and roughly chopped

¼ bunch mint, cleaned and roughly chopped

2 heads butter lettuce, cleaned and roughly chopped

Method: Use a bowl of warm water large enough to soak the rice paper in. Working one paper at a time, dip the rice paper into the water and let drain on a cutting board. Make sure you run your hand over the paper to get an even distribution of water. This should make the rice paper soften up like a really thin tortilla. Working like you are making a burrito, place one layer of smoked salmon down, top it with some sliced strawberries, top that with the herb and butter lettuce mix, and finish it all with a layer of rice noodles. Roll it up and let rest for fifteen minutes before slicing. Serve with a classic Vietnamese Nuoc Mam sauce, see recipe below.

Nuoc Mam Sauce

1 cup lime juice

1 cup fish sauce

1 cup sugar

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ T ginger, minced

2 T Sriracha

Method: Combine all ingredients and taste. Reduce the amount of Sriracha if it is too spicy. You should get a flavor balance of sweet, spicy, and sour with the aroma of garlic and ginger.

If you want to enjoy these dishes without doing all the work, there's still time to call and make your reservations.

For more info: Butterfly, Pier 33. Also check out Rob Lam's latest project, Eastside West.