Often referred to as “millionaire’s salad”,this simple, tender-crisp, delicately sweet, ivory-coloured salad is made from finely sliced heart of the coconut palm tree which is tossed with fragrant lime juice, olive oil, thinly sliced onion and seasoned with sugar, salt and pepper.
- 1 medium Heart of Palm
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar ( Note 1)
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onion
- Salt and cracked pepper
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With a sharp knife cut away the fibrous layers of the palm heart and trim all hard parts until you reach the tender heart. If it is too big to handle, trim in two or separate the leafy part from the non-leafy part.
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Thinly slice the palm heart and hold in a container containing half of the lemon juice and some salt. This will stop the salad from oxidising and turning brown ( Note 2)
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Prepare your vinaigrette by mixing/ whisking together the lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, onion and spring onion in a stainless steel or ceramic bowl.
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Drain the palm heart and gently toss in the vinaigrette
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Season
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Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
- Many people omit the sugar but I am a fan because sugar gives this salad a totally new flavour dimension.
- Traditionally, the heart was thinly sliced with a sharp knife. The modern way is to use a mandolin slicer. It will give you regular thickness. Prepare a stainless steel bowl with some water and add the juice of one lemon in the water. Slice the heart into the bowl. The slightly acidulated water will prevent the sliced heart from oxidising and turn brown. If you plan to complete the salad straight away, then there is no need to use the acidulated water. It takes a while before the sliced heart starts to oxidise.