In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

Green Salad With Candied Pecans And Slices Of Mango.


caribbean salad with candied pecans and sliced mango (13)

Ok, so the candied pecans bit is not typical Caribbean, but with the wide selection of dining options you now have on the islands, I bet you can find this on the menu in several restaurants throughout the Caribbean. We were over at our friend’s place for dinner a couple weekends ago and they served this with grilled pork tenderloin that was marinated in a Teriyaki sauce and it was a hit, so I thought I’d share it with you all. As a true blooded Caribbean fella, I just had to add the slices of mango, instead of pears that they used.

You’ll Need…


For The Salad:

6-8 cups of assorted salad greens
3/4 cup candied pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 semi-ripe mango cut into strips

*crumbled blue cheese – optional

To Candy The Pecans:

1 cup pecans halves
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used golden brown)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

* cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to cool candied pecans

For The Salad Dressing:

2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Start off by getting the pecans ready as they will take about 30 minutes to cool. In a saucepan on medium heat add the sugar, oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk around for about 3 minutes until you start seeing bubbles. Now add the pecans and stir around. Allow them to fully coat and toast – about 4-5 minutes. You should have a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil ready for cooling the pecans. Empty the now candied pecans onto the cookie sheet and using two forks, separate them. Allow this cool.  I used halved pecans, but Caron mentioned that had I used pecan pieces I could allow them to cluster and they would work better in the salad. If you’re wondering if you can store this, the answer is yes. Place in an airtight container.

caribbean salad with candied pecans and sliced mango

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Now for the dressing. Combine everything in a small bowl and give it a good whisk just before you’re ready to serve the salad. The acid in the dressing will wilt the greens if it’s sitting for too long, so it’s important that you serve immediately after putting this together – it will not store well. So if you plan on eating this later on, only dress the portion you’ll be using now and do the same later on.

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The salad is simply combining everything. Wash and dry your greens (use a salad spinner to get all the liquid out or paper towels) and place in a large bowl. Add the pecans, slices of mango (BTW try to get a mango that’s not fully ripe, as the tartness will work well with this combination – PLUS it will hold it’s shape better than a fully ripe mango), dried cranberries and dress with the dressing we made earlier. NOTE: Add a little dressing at a time as it’s very easy to over-dress.

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caribbean salad with candied pecans and sliced mango (14)

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Before my vegetarian friends get all mad with me for posting this in the vegetarian section and there’s a massive piece of bbq chicken on the plate, accept my apologies and focus on the salad recipe only 🙂

Fellas, if you want to impress the lady in your life, put this together… she’ll be very impressed! Please take a moment to leave me your comments below (just say hello – it’s appreciated) and don’t forget to join us on Facebook – click on image below.

caribbean recipe on facebook

* If I had slices of fresh pineapple I would surely add it to this salad as well.

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9 Comments

  1. Rosemary
    February 14, 2016 / 12:35 pm

    Love this salad recipe. I’m sure to try it soon. Did you have a recipe for rice and peas using fresh squeezed coconut milk? My Grannie made it all the time. She used smoked ham hocks to make the beans. Thank you for reading my note.

  2. September 7, 2014 / 10:12 am

    Sounds great! We’ve been doing a similar recipe with walnuts, a mixture of berries from our garden and fried bacon crumbled atop.

  3. Inez
    July 20, 2014 / 4:47 pm

    Have you tried this with almonds? You can candy them the same as the pecans but also toasted walnuts are good – not so sweet but with the mango it should work. Adding a few pumpkin seeds makes for a very healthy salad.

  4. Lynne Skerritt
    October 29, 2013 / 10:00 am

    Great with strawberries as well!!

  5. Barb
    November 27, 2012 / 1:17 pm

    Great salad Chris, we are growing mixed greens in grenada–unusual here…cant find pecans..only local almonds/cashews….but tons of mango

  6. Lucille Cooper
    July 25, 2012 / 4:12 pm

    Hi Chris
    Thanks for being food wonderful. I share your recipes with friends and pretend that I know you. Isn't that special? The salad dressing is great and I use a Trinidad staple instead of lettuce and that is watercress.
    Thanks and keep cooking
    From a Trini in Long Island
    Lucille

  7. October 29, 2011 / 1:42 am

    Its like you learn my mind! You appear to understand so much about this, like you wrote the e book in it or something. I feel that you simply can do with a few p.c. to power the message house a bit, however instead of that, that is fantastic blog. An excellent read. I’ll definitely be back.
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  8. Deb
    August 9, 2010 / 8:05 pm

    Add minced shallots and a pinch of cane sugar to that dressing for an even more potent flavour punch…de-LISH! I've had this with the pears and bacon…will def have to try the mango version with the meat on the side. Thanks!

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