This Brazilian hearts of palm salad is irresistibly good...and ridiculously easy to make. What I love about this dish is how a couple of cans of artichoke hearts and hearts of palm can transform a simple summer salad into an exotic tropical side dish. The creamy lemon-mustard-garlic dressing brings it all together for a colorful substantial salad that goes with everything and is easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.
Do you ever find yourself digging to the bottom of the salad bowl to get all the good stuff? The chunks of avocado, cucumber or tomato that have sunk down under all the lettuce leaves?
This hearts of palm salad is all that good stuff, all the favorites: hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, cucumbers, avocado and cherry tomatoes, bathed in a delicious mustardy vinaigrette. This is the dish you want at every picnic, barbecue or cookout.
Maybe you're wondering 'what in the world are hearts of palm?' They are a curious ingredient with lots of mystery and intrigue so here's the scoop.
WHAT ARE HEARTS OF PALM?
- Hearts of palm are the tender inner section of a baby palm tree trunk or stem
- They're vegetables that many consider to be a gourmet delicacy.
- In the past hearts of palm production was endangering the Brazil icara palm tree population but now the hearts are harvested from quicker-growing, non-endangered palm trees.
- Hearts of palm can be eaten raw but they don't keep for very long when fresh, so the majority are sold in cans or jars, preserved in brine
- Hearts of palm have a delicate flavor and texture similar to canned artichoke hearts or canned asparagus
- They add an exotic and tropical twist to salads. You'll find similar chopped vegetable salads with hearts of palm throughout Latin America, especially in Brazil, Costa Rica and Ecuador, where hearts of palm are grown..
HOW TO MAKE THIS HEARTS OF PALM SALAD
To start, whisk up the dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.
Next, open the cans of artichoke hearts and hearts of palm. Drain out the liquid and slice the hearts of palm into discs. Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters and remove any tough outer leaves.
Peel, halve, and scrape out the seeds of two hothouse cucumbers. Slice them into moons. Slice the avocado and immediately toss it with dressing to prevent it from turning brown.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to the mix.
Toss everything with dressing. That's it!
I make this salad all year long, but especially in the summer when cherry tomatoes are at their best.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HEARTS OF PALM SALAD
As I mentioned, this salad goes with everything, especially anything grilled. And here are some of my recent favorite dishes to serve with hearts of palm salad on the side:
- Spanish arroz con pollo (chicken and rice casserole)
- Grilled Chicken Sliders
- Korean BBQ Burgers
- Grilled Aleppo Pepper Chicken Thighs
Here's the recipe for Hearts of Palm Salad with Artichokes, Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado. If you try this recipe I hope you will come back to leave a comment and a star rating. I'd love to know what you think.
PrintRecipe
Hearts of Palm Salad with Artichoke Hearts, Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 10-12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A colorful festive salad that's easy to throw together and perfect for casual entertaining.
Ingredients
- Dressing Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed or finely minced (2 teaspoons)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salad Ingredients:
- 2 hothouse cucumbers
- 1 pint of ripe sweet cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 14-ounce cans whole artichoke hearts in water, not oil (if you can't find whole artichoke hearts, quartered artichoke hearts are fine, too)
- 2 14-ounce cans whole hearts of palm
- 2 ripe but firm avocados
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make The Dressing: Whisk all the ingredients vigorously until they're emulsified. Set aside.
- Cut the cucumbers into half moons: Peel the cucumbers. Slice them in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scrape out the seeds that run down the middle of each half. Then make ⅓-inch cuts crosswise, which will give you little cucumber half moons.
- Quarter the Artichoke Hearts: Pull off any tough leaves from the outside of the artichoke hearts. Then slice each heart into quarters, lengthwise.
- Cut the hearts of palm crosswise, into ⅓-inch rounds
- Halve the cherry tomatoes
- Cut The Avocados: Cut the avocados last, right before you toss the the salad with dressing, to make sure they don't discolor. Cut them into bite-sized cubes or slices. If you want a nifty way to slice avocados, check out the photos in my guacamole recipe post.
- Toss all the ingredients together with the dressing, in a large bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.
- NOTE: This recipe can be easily halved.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Category: Salad
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: Brazilian
[This post first appeared on Panning The Globe in March 2017. It was updated in May 2019 with added nutritional information and more details added to the written post]
Trudy
Can I make this in advance?
Lisa Goldfinger
Yes. I often make this a couple of hours ahead. It even good the next day, but if I’m making it several hours ahead I often add the tomatoes and avocados at the last minute or an hour or so ahead.
Lisa S Mac
A great summer addition or anytime? Light fresh and healthy!
shelley
i have artichoke in oil, why does the recipe says not to use in oil?
Lisa Goldfinger
Hi Shelley. The reason I don't recommend it is because the oil is often flavored with herbs and/or spices. My recipe provides a dressing that includes oil and has a specially designed flavor profile. But you can use artichokes in oil. I'm sure the salad will still be delicious!
Jim
Everyone raved about this salad. Seconds for everybody!!
Cindy prince
Salad itself is great, but I had a hard time with the dressing. I might have put to much oil in.
Keith
Outstanding, works great for an old (74) Florida boy. Just the right touch of everything and not too much of anything.
Lisa Goldfinger
I love this comment! So glad you are enjoying this salad 🙂
Laura
Hi, planning to make this salad this weekend. It sounds fantastic! What can I substitute in the dressing to replace the oil? Thanks!
Lisa Goldfinger
Hi Laura - Try whisking a ripe avocado into the dressing mixture. I bet that would work well, or some plain yogurt, or a little of each. I hope you enjoy the salad!
Linda
I made this for a party and people could not stop reading about it. I had to send the recipe to everyone who was at the party. It’s delicious. I did use just one teaspoon of Dijon.
Will make this many times in the future. Thank you.
Lisa
It's so great to hear the salad was such a hit at your party Linda! Thank you for coming back to let me know 🙂
Connie Niespodziany
A party in my mouth. Better than the salad I remember at a 5 star restaurant in San Diego!!!
Lisa
That's wonderful to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed the salad.
Kara
Love this salad :)Will definitely be making it again!