Costa Rican Heart of Palm Salad

Name: Costa Rican Heart of Palm Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 25 oz jar Hearts of Palm (halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2" pieces, or 2 smaller jars); 1 red, orange, or yellow bell bepper (cut into 1/2" pieces); 3 medium stalks celery (cut into 1/2" pieces); 1/4 cup minced cilantro; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; 1 Tablespoon water; 1 teaspoon dijon mustard; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 Tablespoons olive oil; Lettuce (eg. romaine or leaf lettuce)

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Heart of Palm salad is a simple side that's quick and easy to whip up. It's great with meat or fish, or beans and rice for a healthy vegetarian meal.

A jar of palm hearts, a whole red bell pepper, 3 celery stalks, and a bunch of celery on a tray.

One of my very favorite parts of traveling is getting to experience the local food. I love it! I'm not afraid to try mystery meat at a street vendor or just point to whatever looks good in a little bakery, even if I have no idea what it is.

I love trying new things that I would never get the chance to try otherwise. Even better than eating exotic food while on vacation is getting the chance to recreate it after I get home.

Heart of palm salad before mixing in a glass bowl.

This Heart of Palm Salad is a recipe that I brought home with me from one of my trips to Costa Rica. It is one of my favorite salads ever, and I especially love it with beans and rice or grilled meat or fish.

After doing a little bit of chopping, this salad is super easy to make and just involves some simple whisking and tossing.

What are palm hearts?

Before I went to Costa Rica the first time, I had never even heard of palm hearts, let alone tried them. Palm hearts are the core of a bud of certain palm trees.

Palm hearts have a mild briny flavor and softer (ie, not crunchy) texture. They remind me a little bit of canned artichoke hearts.

Where can you buy palm hearts?

Although not commonly used in North American cooking, they're reasonably easy to find. Look for them with the canned vegetables, usually in a jar or can.

I have found them even in my smaller, not all that well-stocked neighborhood grocery store. And recently, Costco has been carrying them. They're not cheap though.

They pair perfectly with the crunchy texture and stronger flavors of the bell pepper, celery, and cilantro that make up the rest of this salad.

A simple lemon and mustard-based dressing tops it all off. I like to serve the salad on top of some mild flavored lettuce, like leaf lettuce, Boston bibb, or butter lettuce.

Costa Rican Heart of Palm Salad in a glass bowl.

Do you have any favorite vacation-inspired recipes?

5 from 1 vote

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Costa Rican Heart of Palm Salad

Carissa Serink

This salad is a simple side dish to serve with grilled meat or a vegetarian meal of beans and rice. Great for the summer!

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings:

Calories: 280kcal

Ingredients

25 oz jar Hearts of Palm halved lengthwise and cut into ½" pieces, or 2 smaller jars
1 red, orange, or yellow bell bepper cut into ½" pieces
3 medium stalks celery cut into ½" pieces
¼ cup minced cilantro
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Lettuce eg. romaine or leaf lettuce

Instructions

Place hearts of palm, bell pepper, celery and cilantro into a large bowl.
Whisk lemon juice, water, mustard, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in olive oil.
Toss salad with dressing. Serve over a bed of lettuce.

Nutrition

Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.

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