Fresh and flavorful, this simple salad has to be one of the easiest recipes ever. With only three ingredients (plus dressing), you can prepare it at a moment's notice. It is perfect for barbecues, potlucks, and when you find perfect avocados. The better the ingredients you use, the better the final result.
Quick and fresh salad
Hearts of palm are unique and have a particular flavor. You either love them or can't stand them—at least, that's what I hear around here. There is no middle ground.
For years I ate them with mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together, what we here call golf sauce, who knows why that name.
I don't know where I heard about this simple and fantastic salad, but I've been making it for decades, especially for outdoor gatherings and large barbecue tables.
Hearts of palm are always available, and the same is true of red onion; it's rare not to find it year-round. So this is a side dish to make whenever you find great avocados, as it's the only ingredient that's more seasonal.
This palmitos (hearts of palm in Spanish and Portuguese) salad is not only easy to put together but also differs from the usual potato, pasta, and tomato salad and complements them nicely as part of a buffet table.
Lately, I've included it in the 5 de Mayo menu plan using lime juice and a touch of cilantro, and serve it alongside my favorite corn mango salsa recipe. It's fresh and vibrant!
Ingredient list
- Avocados.
- Hearts of palm: they're sold canned, and I highly recommend buying whole hearts of palm rather than sliced or salad cut as they're sometimes labeled.
- Red onion.
- Lemon juice.
- Olive oil.
- Salt.
- Black pepper.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
What are hearts of palm?
In case you're not familiar with this ingredient, they consist of thick white stalks harvested from the inside of some palm trees.
The texture is tender yet firm, with a very unique taste and a similar mouthfeel to asparagus or artichoke hearts. They are soft but crunchy and creamy at the same time.
It's a love or hate situation for most.
It's hard to describe how hearts of palm taste but they have a delicate, fresh, sometimes barely sweet flavor with a slightly nutty and earthy undertone.
They are sold canned, and you should look for whole hearts of palm, not sliced or chopped. Look for good brands, as inferior ones tend to add one or two hard stalks in the mix that you won't be able to use.
Avocado varieties
My first choice: I always use Haas avocados, those small, blackish, pretty ugly-looking ones. They have the best flavor and are super creamy without being watery.
In my opinion, there is a larger type of avocado that has little flavor due to its higher water content.
But there are many to choose from, and here is a good list to learn about avocado varieties.
Choosing avocados
It's essential to choose just-ripe avocados for the best result.
- The stem at the top should come off easily and reveal a light spot. If the spot is brown the avocado is probably a little over-ripen.
- An avocado that is ready to be eaten is slightly soft but not mushy; when you lightly press it barely gives.
- The skin might be black but not always completely, some dark green might still be there. If you open it, it has green and yellow parts, but not brown ones.
How to assemble this salad
There's no right or wrong way of layering the ingredients. I assemble them in two layers.
- First layer: it's the bulk of the salad. Add the three ingredients in smaller pieces than on top. Diced avocado, coarsely chopped hearts of palm, and thin slices of red onion. And a light drizzle of dressing.
- Second layer: arrange nicer-looking pieces. Slices of avocado, red onion, and hearts of palm sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled right before serving with dressing.
Top Tip
Cut the avocados at the last moment, and, once you open them, drizzle them lightly with lemon juice to prevent browning while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Dressing
This hearts of palm salad with avocados is simple, so we don't want to weigh it down with a prominent dressing that masks the flavors.
- Lemon vinaigrette: mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. The key is to balance the flavors without letting one invade the salad.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: same as above but using balsamic vinegar instead of lemon.
The two are simple and sound similar, but balsamic is a definite flavor different from lemon juice.
Variations
- Artichoke hearts: they pair well with the rest of the ingredients. Use the best quality you can afford so you get soft, tender ones.
- Arugula and tomatoes: they can be added to this salad with good results if you want a heartier dish. I like cherry tomatoes cut in half. And a base of arugula leaves to serve the salad on top.
- Mustard honey dressing: it's the one we use for the pear arugula salad and complements this simple salad if you like stronger flavors.
- 5 de Mayo salad: use lime juice instead of lemon and sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top before serving.
Related recipes you might like:
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Avocado Hearts of Palm Salad
Ingredients
- You can easily double or triple this salad to serve more.
- 1 avocado
- ½ medium red onion
- 6 canned hearts of palm
- 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette by mixing the oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or jar. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
- Slice half of the avocado in wedges, and dice the other half.
- Thinly slice the onion.
- Slice the hearts of palm.
- Arrange the diced avocados and half the ingredients between two plates.
- Drizzle half the dressing among the two. Toss lightly to mix.
- Arrange the rest of the sliced avocados, onion, and sliced hearts of palm on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle the rest of the dressing, dividing equally.
- Or simply put them in a large salad bowl, depending on the number of servings you're making.
- Serve immediately.
plasterers bristol says
Hmm these look delicious, thanks for posting up this recipe, looks quite simple to make.
Simon
Eftychia DreamofCakes says
I love avocado and this salad looks delicious!
Pachecopatty says
food blogging mojo..it comes and it goes- sort of like the tides 😉
I think your mojo is quite impressive and so is this salad...a few really good ingredients like a ripe avocado and off you go...good thing I just had lunch or I would have trouble getting your salad photos out of my mind 😉
Natalie G says
Such a simple but fabulous recipe, all of my fave ingredients!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Paula, I could not have put it in better words than Mary (British Mum) did - we all love to visit your fabulous blog and look at your wonderful photography and recipes and we all appreciate the heart and soul that you pour into all your posts!
Wonderful idea for a different kind of salad - I love that it has so many healthy elements and looks so pretty! Hearts of palm with avocado sounds like a very tasty combination!
Take good care of yourself and enjoy a nice Wednesday!