Spring Alphonso Mango Salad with Pistachio Dressing

Everyone has their ‘go to’ salad – and this is mine. I particularly love it when the alphonso mangoes are in season from early April to late June. They are commonly known as the King of Mangoes for good reason with their rich, honey like fibreless flesh and beautiful golden hue. There are 100s of varieties of mangos in the world but only a few are exported - and I’m so pleased that these are. Mangos and pistachios are a mouth-watering combination in a dessert but also work well with bitter or peppery greens in a salad with some red chillies. I use pistachio oil, a boutique gourmet oil, in the dressing which enhances the overall pistachio flavour however if you can’t find it, olive oil would work equally as well. Equally balsamic vinegar is divine in the dressing instead of the apple cider vinegar.

I can’t really call this a recipe as there are hardly any exact measurements involved, except for the dressing – and arguably even that can be adjusted to taste. Do add your favourite salad ingredients; cucumber, fennel or orange segments would all work well. It is delicious either served on its own or as an accompaniment to something more substantial.

Spring Alphonso Mango Salad with Pistachio Dressing

Prep time: 10 mins | Yield: 1 serving

INGREDIENTS

Salad

1 handful of mixed baby leaves

1 handful rocket

1 handful baby spinach

1 handful of alfafa sprouts

½ red pepper (bell pepper), julienned

1 cup ripe alphonso mango chunks

2 tbsp shelled hempseeds

A few pansy or nasturtium petals

½ mild red chilli pepper, thinly sliced

1 tbsp chopped chervil leaves

Pistachio Dressing

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp agave or raw honey

2 tbsp finely chopped pistachio nuts

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaf (cilantro)

2 tbsp pistachio oil (I use the one by La Tourangelle)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

In a bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients.
In a jam jar, add all the ingredients and shake until well combined, adjusting the seasoning to taste.
Dress the salad by pouring as much dressing as is required around the edges of the salad bowl and gentle tumbling the salad ingredients into the dressing.