Heart of Palm Salad

Whether you’ve heard of heart of palm or not, chances are it is not something you usually serve at home.  For many, it’s not only something you’ve never served at home, but you may have never had it at all.  Consequently, you may not know that it is a good source of vitamin B-6, potassium, and fiber, and that it has the most amazing, one-of-a kind flavor.

Heart of palm is a wonderfully exotic and delicious option for many dishes, both hot and cold.  I’ve shared my recipe for shrimp and heart of palm pie before.  And now I want to share a simple, yet unique and tasty salad that takes no time at all to prepare.

Heart of palm is literally the heart of a harvested palm tree. In Brazil, we call it palmito.  I grew up eating this salad at home, and you can find variations of it in many of restaurants there, including the traditional Brazilian churrascaria steakhouses (like Fogo de Chão).  It pairs beautifully with grilled proteins.

Tired of the same old side salads?  Give this one a try.  I’m sure you won’t regret it.

let’s look at what you need to prepare this heart of palm salad

Many Brazilian salads rely on lime juice as the acid to dress salads, as opposed to vinegar.  I like to switch my dressings back and forth, so I make several salads with lime juice.  It adds a brightness and lightness that really lets the heart of palm shine.

I also love the fresh parsley and scallions.  They give this salad such an herby pop, as well as a little boost of vitamin C.  So, if you do not care for too much raw onion in your salads, I would opt to exclude the sweet onion as opposed to the scallions.

Quick note.  Be sure to drain the heart of palm well after opening the jar or can.  It is packed in brine, and you don’t want all the extra liquid to make your salad soggy.  You want to remove the seeds from the tomato for the same reason.  Simply cut your tomato in half, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds, and chop up the outer flesh, with the skin.

That’s all the instruction you need!  This is such a simple salad that slicing and chopping is all you need to do to get this…

I never mix the dressing separately.  I just add everything to a large serving bowl.  Then I use a teaspoon to drizzle the olive oil around in consecutive circles, add a slight pinch of salt, and then squeeze the lime directly over the salad.

Toss gently.  Some heart of palm spears are more tender than others, and they may fall apart with too much handling.  And be cautious with the salt.  If you taste a slice of the heart of palm before seasoning, you will note that the brine that it is packaged in gives it quite a bit of salt already.

Then take to the table and serve!

Healthy ingredients, with a low calorie and low fat dressing.  Perfect for family meals or as a new and unique side salad for dinner guests.  You really can’t go wrong with a beautiful, fresh, heart of palm salad.

I hope you like it!

Heart of Palm Salad

Lori

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Servings 4 -6 side salads

Ingredients

  

• 2 cans of heart of palm 14-ounce each
• 1 medium tomato seeds removed
• 1-2 tablespoons sweet onions sliced very thin
• 2 scallions sliced very thin
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons quality olive oil
• Juice of half a lime or to taste
• Salt

Instructions

 

• Drain the heart of palm spears well, then slice into 1/2 inch slices.
• Cut the tomato in half, use a teaspoon to carve out the seeds and excess juice, then chop into small cubes.
• Combine the ingredients in a large serving bowl.
• Drizzle the olive oil and squeeze the lime directly over the salad, while moving your hand in a circle to evenly distribute.
• Add a slight pinch of salt.
• Toss, adjust seasoning to taste, and serve.