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.
yummychunklet says
I do like the avocado and the hearts of palm!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
Paula you have SUCH a lovely blog - your recipes are always beautiful and sound delicious! I think we all have blogging ups and downs - but I always LOVE visiting your page!
Mary x
Rhu Sam says
Grab a posh G&T (like the ones we have in BCN ha ha) and get your mojo working 😉 two of those salads please! (Cómo lo llamiás allí? Corazón de palmito?)
Louise at Cake and Calico says
I love the look of your salad too - clean, fresh and simple.
On the subject of blogging, whenever I get 'fatigue' my husband reminds me that it's a hobby and that hobbies are meant to be fun... (Obviously if it's your livelihood, that's a different story!)
chefmimiblog.com says
I felt like quitting when a couple guys left really obnoxious comments. Which is stupid, because they are assholes and obviously enjoy it. All of the negative comments I've gotten, maybe five total, have all been from men, which I find interesting. So I trod on with my food blogging, but I only post every other day now, instead of my self-imposed blogging rules! Beautiful salad.
e / dig in says
paula, i am so with you on the gin and tonic. cheers! then i'd make us a lemon delicious pudding with any leftover lemons 🙂
i have never even HEARD of hearts of palms before. what a sheltered life i obviously lead!
laurasmess.me says
I've never eaten heart of palm before. The idea of eating them with this gorgeous avocado salad sounds beautiful though! Do you buy them canned or fresh? I've only seen canned ones at my local continental store. I might give this salad a go!
And Paula... so glad that you're feeling free enough to express the pressure, fatigue and 'loss of mojo' that you've been experiencing. Even more glad that you've freed yourself from expectations in terms of frequency of posting, quality and content. This should be something that you do for YOU, to enrich your life. If it becomes a strain and something that you dread, then there is something significantly wrong in terms of your life balance! Sending you a hug, beautiful! Thanks for the links. Take care of yourself, you're amazing xx
wp_vknotes_admin says
Laura, hearts of palm are white/yellowish cylinders, very soft and fresh tasting, with a very particular flavor. They are always sold canned; I don't think there's such a thing as a raw heart of palm. There's no substitution for them really, add another ingredient or leave them out.
And yes, blogging should be fun, first of all!
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says
Ha ha ha ha ha! The man/woman and the kids drawing are awesome...so funny! I often loose my groove in blogging for a bit. Usually only to realize that a shift in perspective is all it takes to get it back. This salad sounds fabulous Paula, I love its simplicity.
Medeja says
When live gives me lemons I just have them like that 😀
I have no idea what is that heat of palm.. I think I will just have to eat my avocados alone too 😀
Liz Berg says
We just spent a week away and are leaving again in a week. I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the blogging commitments (why, oh why, did I join all these blogging groups???). It kind of takes the fun out of blogging...so I can truly relate to your loss of mojo!
I adore hearts of palm and was just thinking I needed to blog about one of my favorite salads using them. I may have to whip up yours till I can locate that elusive recipe 🙂
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
Sounds like a much needed R&R. Sometimes rest can give you perspective and maybe inspiration. I hope you'll get your mojo back Paula. Your salad looks beautiful and I have enjoyed reading your blog. Take care. xx
The Ninja Baker says
Dearest Paula, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade or vodka!" Great line!
And your salad like all your food is fabulous and always looks tasty (and is tasty when I make them -correctly. I refer to your wonderful strawberry scones where I er, didn't freeze the butter...But the result was still yummy.)
Most importantly - you! I so appreciate your honesty. All the social media and stats talk does make me feel like a hamster on a wheel at times. But there is so heartwarming getting to connect with wonderful people like you =) Please take good care of you <3
Pink Patisserie says
I completely understand the running out of blogging steam deal. Sometimes it's good to take a little rest. It's hard work! And you want to do your best and feel like you are inspired. It's so so hard. I love the idea about blogging just as you are able. Hard to do but important! Beautiful salad, looks so fresh. Hang in there Paula. You're fabulous!
Renee says
I am sure you haven't lost your blogging mojo, only that something is telling you to either rest or experience more outside of the blog. Your posts and recipes are brilliant. I'm in awe of them most every time. Such is with your simple salad today. It shows that using the right combination of a few ingredients is all you need for a fabulous meal.
Thanks for making me laugh with your links. The one-liners are hilarious. And also thanks for the shoutout of my cake. XOXO!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
Love anything with hearts of palm so this sounds superb. Mojo? For me it is summer fever! Maybe you need your 15 minutes of relaxation!
Cocoa and Lavender says
Such a perfect salad for summer time (up here!)... Paula, do you have any suggestions for a substitution for the red onion? I find that my system doesn't like raw onions anymore... I have to wait till I get home to check out your links - looking forward to them! ~ David
Cocoa and Lavender says
Thanks! I will try that. I just went back and read all the links you sent. I can definitely see out senses of humor mesh well! The Facebook thing was perfect. I think I have cured all my friends of sending me Farmville invitations... at least I hope I have.
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
Those avocados look perfect + love the combo of flavors in that salad.
That list of one-liners was a great way to start my Monday! xo
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
oh and thank you for the shout out. . . I love how you add other links at the bottom of your posts. . I want to do this too!!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Paula,
Hello dear friend! 🙂 First off, all of your links are hilarious. . I had also hit a wall re: blogging (wrote about this in my comment on Amy's blog, kimchimom). I've decided to post/blog when I want and to not feel pressure to post more frequently (pressure I was putting on myself) and trying to dig deeper and will just do my own thing etc etc. . the last thing I want is my writing to become stale but you can't have a fabulous story every time .. so I guess it's having a good balance. . which I am trying to find. .
dude, this salad. love it. Simple, fresh and hearts of palm. LOVE this!!! you know what I love with my avocado? walnuts! I would totally add walnuts to this salad! and I think a squirt of fresh lemon or lime juice helps to stop it from browning. I'm totally making this!!
~~louise~~ says
Hi Paula,
First let me say, I love the combinations in this salad! And, as for losing your mojo, I took a hiatus from blogging for seven month, yes, seven. However, I'm back and loving it. So, perhaps you're right, just go with it. Food bloggers are the best and they understand:)
Thanks for those links too. Most of them are new to me with the exception of Heather's.
P.S. We'll be playing the Picnic Game at my blog soon. You're more than welcome to join in! Heather will be there:)