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Summer

Plum Avocado Summer Salad

by:
August  4, 2010
3 Ratings
Plum Avocado Summer Salad
Photo by James Ransom
Author Notes

This is a creation for a nice quick summer salad! I discovered recently that I love avocado - perhaps I had only had guacamole (not a texture for me) so I missed out a lot of years without avocado. Recently I was on a plum craze and I made this combo which was delicious. Peeling plums can try your patience, but it's worth the sweet fleshy goodness without the bitter skins. - Lena S. —Lena S.

Test Kitchen Notes

A study in contrasts, this salad blew us away with its unexpected combination of flavors and textures. It's as if the marriage of tart-sweet plum and buttery avocado was always meant to be -- and the fragrant cilantro garlic dressing brings just the right amount of heat to the party, in the form of a dried chili. Don't skimp on the lemon or the salt, as both are crucial for balance. We think dicing the plums and avocados a little finer and using this to top a piece of fish would be another great use for Lena S.'s great dish! - A&M —The Editors

  • Serves 2
Ingredients
  • 2 medium ripe Avocados
  • 5 medium sized ripe black plums
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 small clove of garlic
  • several pinches sea salt (I'm on a pink himalayan salt phase myself)
  • 1 medium lemon
  • 3 splashes olive oil
  • 1 dried red chili pepper
In This Recipe
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Directions
  1. Peel the black plums and cut into cubes (worth the task of peeling!).
  2. Peel the avocado and cut into cubes.
  3. Gently place the black plum and avocado chunks into a dish -- be careful not to mix too much, otherwise the avocado mushes all over. Squeeze with lemon and sprinkle in a couple pinches of sea salt. Do not mix.
  4. In a mortar and pestle, smash up the garlic clove with a little salt. Add the red chili pepper and continue crushing (should still be in big messy chunks). Add the cilantro and continue to mash until the ingredients are combined. Drizzle in the olive oil (1/4 to 1/2 cup) to make the dressing, mashing well.
  5. Drizzle the dressing with a spoon over the plums and avocado. Salt to taste.
  6. Let the salad sit for 5 to 10 minutes to soak in a bit and then enjoy.
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  • malw
    malw
  • Amanda Dawson
    Amanda Dawson
  • Lena S.
    Lena S.
  • Sabine Gagnon
    Sabine Gagnon
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    Marquis

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