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
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
  • Marquis
    Marquis

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65 Reviews

Mark A.
Mark A. August 29, 2020
This really is phenomenal—our favorite use for our crop of Italian plums (although we also love plum tart and sorbet recipes on Food52). It may just be our favorite recipe on Food52. It hits so many great flavor notes (sweet, savory, spicy)—all in balance—with really interesting textures (slippery and creamy). Peeling the plums isn't worth the effort—it's great with them.
Such a shame that plum season is so short!
 
Sharon
Sharon August 6, 2017
I made this today and it is very flavorful! Plums and avocados are two of my favorites and I'll put cilantro on just about anything so this was a perfect recipe for me to try. I'll be making it again. Thank you for sharing.
 
malw
malw June 21, 2016
Wonderful Can't wait to tell people about this dish!
 
Amanda D.
Amanda D. July 19, 2015
I made this today for a women's brunch. It met with rave reviews despite initial skepticism. Thanks so much for sharing!
 
wietje
wietje August 16, 2014
Just made it. I used manggo instead. Very nice.
 
Author Comment
Lena S.
Lena S. August 13, 2014
Thanks for the shout out as recipe of the day!! Made MY day anyways :)
 
Sophia S.
Sophia S. July 8, 2014
can anybody recommend a replacement for cilantro? I'm one of those who can only taste soap :(
 
drbabs
drbabs July 8, 2014
My husband, too. I usually use flat leaf parsley in its place.
 
Alejandralxndr
Alejandralxndr September 17, 2013
Where did you get that mortar and pestle? It's beautiful and I want one!
 
Sabine G.
Sabine G. August 29, 2013
this was a huge hit at my BBQ! Impressive combination. Super delicious.
 
Marquis
Marquis July 23, 2013
This is so interesting! Thanks for sharing, I love the combination here .. Very innovative!
 
TastyAloha
TastyAloha July 4, 2013
Surprisingly delicious combination of flavors. I skipped the part with the mortar and pestle and just gently mixed all of the ingredients together in a bowl and it still tasted fantastic.
 
kumalavula
kumalavula August 29, 2012
i have made this every summer since it appeared and people ask over and over for the recipe. it's a great combination of flavors. i've played around with black plums, pluots and may even try nectarines but i never peel the fruit and it seems perfectly fine. i hope to make this once or twice more before fall settles in.
 
susan G.
susan G. March 16, 2012
I've been waiting for months to make this -- it finally came together, and I had it with Panfusine's "handvo" -- it works like a chutney, and was a delightful compliment.
 
carlinpatty
carlinpatty September 11, 2011
Just made this for dinner. Used several different types of plums and served it over a bed of arugula. Wonderful! Agree with others -- doesn't need as much oil, I used less than 1/4 cup.
 
shortnmorose
shortnmorose September 5, 2011
I added blue cheese to this and it was phenomenal. My cheese guy looked at me funny and I was like, trust me. Plums avos and blu di bufala. YUM!
 
Author Comment
Lena S.
Lena S. September 7, 2011
I will have to give it a try - it does sound promising!
 
jedverity
jedverity July 22, 2011
I agree with another commenter about using less oil. With 1/4 cup the olive oil flavor was very strong and there was a pool of it, mixed with juices, at the bottom of the bowl. Otherwise, this was amazing!
 
Jed
Jed July 19, 2011
Brilliant! How long do you think it could keep in the fridge?
 
bmallorca
bmallorca September 6, 2011
Jed, I made it last week and it kept well for at least two days in the fridge, and then it was gone. We made sure the dressing got all over the avocado, and didn't notice any terrible discoloration. However it was so yummy that no one would have cared!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian July 11, 2011
This was one of my favorite salads last summer. We had a house party-reunion this weekend and I made this last night as a side dish to some grilled pork tenderloins. Everyone, and I mean everyone, just raved about this salad. They loved how it looked and tasted. Everyone wanted the recipe! Thanks for making me look good!
 
Author Comment
Lena S.
Lena S. July 13, 2011
Wonderful!
 
Assya
Assya April 17, 2011
I must say I wasn't sure how this would turn out, mixing avocados and plums seemed weird.
It turned out AMAZING ! I haven't had anyhing that flavourful in a long time, thank you !

HOwever, I cut down on the oil, I think 1/4 cup is enough, maybe even too much
Thank you again
 
Author Comment
Lena S.
Lena S. April 24, 2011
Glad you liked it! You can definitely cut down on the oil as you prefer and adjust the lemon and chili to your taste!

 
The G.
The G. November 4, 2010
It's so good!