Cilantro haters better quit reading right away! This is a salad for those of us who can take this gorgeous herb in all its green glory… Very tropical, very Brazilian with the addition of hearts of palm and oranges.
HEARTS OF PALM SALAD WITH CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE
(adapted from Food and Wine magazine)
for the vinaigrette
2/3 cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
for the salad
baby romaine lettuce leaves
campari tomatoes, quartered
orange segments
hearts of palm, sliced
Add the cilantro leaves, shallots, lemon juice, vinegar, and honey into a blender. Process until very smooth. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Assemble the salad on individual plates, making a bed of lettuce leaves, adding tomatoes and orange segments on top. Place the hearts of palm slices in the center, drizzle the vinaigrette all over. You should have vinaigrette leftover; it keeps well in the fridge for a few days.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: When we have friends over for dinner, we normally bring the food to the table and let the guests serve themselves. I like informal. But, for this salad I opened an exception, and pre-assembled four individual servings. I wanted to highlight the hearts of palm, and make sure they would shine at the center, lightly covered by the bright green vinaigrette. I loved the way the plates stood up waiting over the black granite, colorful, bright, as if calling for an early spring… What am I saying? Spring can never be too early! 😉
ONE YEAR AGO: Watercress Salad
TWO YEARS AGO: Curried Zucchini Soup
THREE YEARS AGO: Chocolate Bread
Bewitching Kitchen 
This sounds like a wonderful salad, Sally — even with the cilantro. (I never was one for following directions. I, too, serve individual salads depending upon the ingredients. Using yours as an example, you took time to plan & build a great salad for your guests. Why not take the time to insure that they each enjoy the full effect? 🙂
LikeLike
I am sure a similar vinaigrette using Italian parsley could be pretty good too… gotta keep that in mind for the future. The color was incredibly beautiful
LikeLike
Hearts of palm always remind me of my maman, so this post brings an immediate smile. They’re so darn yummy too aren’t they? and I dare say underrated (at least I don’t come across them frequently in the blogosphere). Love your cilantro vinaigrette – what a colour! I don’t blame you for pre-assembling ;-). Shine indeed. Really nice Sally.
LikeLike
Hearts of palm is definitely a very under-used ingredient – not in Brazil, though – quite common in salads, pies, “pasteis”. I don’t use it as often as I should… 🙂
LikeLike
I have a confession to make Sally..
I have a can of hearts of palm that has been waiting for me to use it for months! and I never seem to find a recipe to move me to use it lol That just changed, I love cilantro and I think this is such a refreshing salad to call on spring 🙂
LikeLike
Well, put it to good use with this salad! I also have a heart of palm pie in the blog that is delicious in case you feel like something more substantial
https://bewitchingkitchen.com/tag/heart-of-palm-pie/
LikeLike
The salad is beautiful, Sally, but I’m too cold for salad now. I adore cilantro and hope I’ll remember this when the weather warms. 😉
LikeLike
Yes, too cold here too, but we had a reasonably heavy dinner (shrimp moqueca) and the salad was perfect with it to lighten things up a little
LikeLike
This will sound crazy – but I had my first hearts of palm salad the other day. Until then I had never tried them. They were delicious (and much better than the beet I accidentally got in a bite with them!). And I do love cilantro. I’m all for salads right now. Never too early to start getting ready for spring (and bathing suit season soon to follow!). 🙂
LikeLike
He, he, he…. loved the “accidental bite of beet” – hearts of palm is a lot more “user friendly” – I don’t see how anyone would not like it. Very mild, nice texture… and quite good for you too.
LikeLike
what a refreshing and delectable salad. I love hearts of palm
LikeLike
Hope you try it!
LikeLike
This salads do shout out spring, don’t they?! We are both wishing for spring, I think! And if a salad were to bring spring along quicker, it would be this one. I learned that a friend of mine has some sort of allergy to cilantro, and did I ever feel sorry for him!! It’s one of my favorites:D xx
LikeLike
I don’t have friends with allergies to cilantro, but one is a cilantro hater with a passion. He visited us a few years ago and made me promise I would not even have some around the house 🙂 He could not stand the smell either
LikeLike
This récipe appears in the Food and Wine January 2006, in the article Latina Pop Stars, Carolina Buia and Isabel González. It;s a very interesting article, with lots of excellent recipes. Hearts of palm lend themselves to a variety of simple salads. At home I slice the hearts, tomatoes, avocado and red onion (optional). Can add cilantro if you like. Olive oil, a bit of vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper. This is a standby in Venezuelan steakhouses. Enjoy!
LikeLike
Agree with you, perfect with a steak…. I did not know it was a standby in Venezuelan steak houses, but it is in Brazil, so great taste has no borders! 😉
LikeLike