Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad
This salad is inspired both by a Wolfgang Puck Hawaiian television show and a Sara Moulton show. Both chefs utilized hearts of palm in a salad. We had only had the canned variety once before at a restaurant in Indianapolis. At the time, we had never even heard of them! Our version combines this unique ingredient with creamy avocado, crisp greens and a refreshing lemon dressing. Originally served as part of Hearts of Palm.
Ingredients
- ½ cup yellow onion (halved, peeled, and sliced)
- 2 cups romaine lettuce (cleaned and torn)
- 1 cup bagged, baby, cleaned spinach
- ¼ cup vine-ripened tomato (diced)
- salt & pepper
- 3 canned hearts of palm (rinsed)
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 firm ripe avocado
Instructions
We start our salad by soaking the sliced onion in a medium sized bowl with ice and water. This step crisps the onion and also takes away some of its strong bite. We set it aside for several minutes while we get the rest of the salad together.
We put our lettuce and spinach into a large bowl. We add the tomatoes and some salt and pepper. The three hearts of palm are sliced, yielding about ¾ cup, and added as well.
In a measuring cup, we combine the lemon juice with a little more salt and pepper. We stir well with a fork. Then we add the olive oil and set aside for a few minutes to blend the flavors. The onions are drained and patted dry and added to the salad bowl.
When it is time to eat, we open the avocado and remove the pit with our knife. Then, we peel and dice the avocado and add it to the salad. We stir the dressing well and add it to the salad. We toss gently with tongs, and add more salt and pepper to taste.
We serve the salad immediately.