These three fresh, juicy summer salads are favourites here in the Seychelles and are the perfect accompaniment to any beachside BBQ (or even eaten on their own as a tasty snack). Better still, they are all super healthy – so those of you sticking to your New Years Resolutions rejoice and tuck in.
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“Palm Heart Salad”
This salad is also know as “Millionaires Salad” thanks to the complex process in retrieving the heart of a palm from sustainably harvested palm trees. The entire palm tree is cut down and the outer fibrous layers stripped away to reveal its tender yet crisp, pale-white core (the palm heart) which boasts a delicate flavour, similar to an artichoke but more like a bamboo shoot in texture.
Ingredients:
- 300g palm heart (fresh is best but canned is still tasty)
- 100g red bell peppers, finely chopped lengthways
- 100g green mango, finely chopped lengthways
- 50g fresh coconut, grated
- 100g avocado, cubed
- 2g fresh mint
- 5g fresh coriander
Dressing:
- 30ml sesame oil
- 45g shallots, finely chopped
- 30g fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 45g pickled ginger, finely chopped
- 30ml pickled ginger juice
- 1 small fresh chilli, finely chopped
- 110ml rice wine vinegar
- 110ml sugar syrup
- 30ml soy sauce
- 30ml fish sauce
- 4/5 limes
Method:
1. Using a potato peeler, peel long strips of the palm heart.
2. Roughly chop mint and coriander but keep a few whole leaves aside to garnish.
3. In a bowl combine the palm heart with the julienne peppers, mango, avocado and mint.
4. Mix all of the ingredients for the dressing together and then toss together with the salad.
5. Garnish with whole mint and coriander leaves prior to serving.
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“Mango Salad”
Ingredients:
- 3 big tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cups pulp from mango, diced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt, pepper to taste
Method:
1. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, red onion, diced mango and mint.
2. Add oil and balsamic vinegar, mix well then salt and pepper to taste.
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.
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“Papaya Salad”
Ingredients:
- ½ a medium sized green papaya (about 250g)
- 1 onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tomato, seeds removed sliced thinly
- ½ a red pepper (red capsicum), sliced thinly
- ½ a green pepper (green capsicum), sliced thinly
- 4 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1½ tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 sweet chilli, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method:
1. Peel and grate the green papaya into a bowl.
2. Combine grated papaya, tomato, onion, peppers and 3 tablespoons parsley together.
3. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a blender until nice and smooth.
4. Pour dressing over salad, tossing well to combine and season with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Garnish salad with remaining parsley prior to serving.
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Let us know what you think of the above recipes on our social media pages, we’d love to hear what you think. Also if there are any Creole recipes that you have been dying to try at home, let us know and we’ll see if we can source the recipe for you.