Watercress is one of those things you couldn’t even force-feed us when we were kids. I still remember there used to be a small fella in the village further up the road from where I grew up, who would go door to door every Sunday morning selling the produce from the garden he made with his grandmother. Picked fresh that morning, you’d get cucumbers, lettuce and watercress. Small man knew that along with our BIG meal (Sunday lunch), just about everyone had a wonderful side salad. People in our village depended on him for their salad ingredients, since he was convenient and his produce was always tops!
Watercress is one of those “salad greens” that’s enjoyed throughout the islands and though this recipe is a bit more complex than the basic way we would normally have it, I just had to share this with you. The watercress gives it a nice peppery flavour and it’s well balanced with the sweet/tart mango.
You’ll Need…
1 bunch watercress
1/4 ripe mango (half ripe works best…make sure it’s still firm)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 small red onion
1/4 small red bell pepper
2-3 tablespoon cilantro chopped
* You can use shado beni if you have that instead of the cilantro, just use less as it’s a bit stronger in flavour.
* I didn’t use a dressing for this since I wanted to keep it diet friendly, but you can top with your favourite pre-made dressing. A simple oil and vinegar dressing would work great as well.
Start by rinsing the watercress under water, drain and trim off the stems. All you’re doing is removing the thick stems as they can be woody and really bitter (the tender parts can be included).
BTW, discard the stems. Then the next step is to slice the red onion (thinly), julienne the red pepper and do the same for the mango. With the mango you’ll have to peel off the skin with a sharp knife or potato peeler, then cut off a face (if you’d like me to explain this, leave me a comment below) and then julienne. Then rough chop the cilantro. Add everything to a large bowl and toss.
I don’t usually add salt or pepper to my salads and I do enjoy them with NO dressing. I hate covering the true taste of the ingredients I use in my salad. however you’re free to add whatever you want at this point.. even some sliced almonds if you wish.
Please leave me your comments below. If you’d like a quick vinaigrette to go with this, leave me a comment and I’ll share one with you.
Couple TIPS!
1. When buying watercress look for a bundle that’s not dark green. The darker the leaves, the stronger the taste will be and it can be bitter at times. Look for leaves that are not bruised or yellowish. That’s a true sign that it’s either old or going bad. Watercress should be sitting (stems) in water in your grocery store or packed among shaved ice.
2. This salad can remain in your fridge for a few days as long as you put it in a sealed container. If you plan on putting it in the fridge, don’t add salt or dressing until you’re ready to serve. If you store with dressing and salt it will become soggy and break down the freshness of the salad.
Hi Chris,
Love this recipe, can you post a vinagrette to go eith it…pls.?
I love this. Thank you so much.
Please advise on a vinegarette to go with this salad. My fiance is diabetic and I am trying to keep him healthy.
Hi Chris, I love your videos but the ones in which you do not show your face are kind of blah. I hope you go back to the ones where you talk to us… Thank you
Hi Chris, this salad look like some thing to just admire but I will make it, I love anything with ripe mango
Hi Chris
Just love your recipes. Live in St. Lucia and following for over a year. I really enjoyed this recipe because of the innovative use of watercress. I tend to grow what I eat or aim to purchase only locally grown produce. Thanks for the great recipe ideas
thanks for your kind support. not innovative, but a bit ‘non Caribbean” – watercress soup. As soon as I can get my hands of some fresh cress I’ll post a video.
I am using this recipe for Christmas. Decided to do it different.
LOVE ya!
Thanks for the tasty ideas!
The combination with mango looks interesting I will try this recipe. Thanks Chris
I must try this recipe, it looks so enticing.
looks good i need to add other vegs but will try
Chris, I love watercress in souse and I sometimes make a salad with watercress, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, bellpeppers and cucumbers. Mangoes I love especially mango chow but I never put mangoes in salad. I'm sure to try this also with the dressing. Thank you so much and do have a wonderful day.
Chris, just want to say thanks for all those lovely recipes you've been posting. They've been a great help! Thank you.
I love the illustration with the pictures, and thanks for the tip about watercress. Next time I'm out i'll be checking the colour of all the leaves lol.
Thanks Chris! Even I, not much of a salad eater, could eat this! Thanks for the dressing recipe too!
I like watercress in soups (hot pot style). Haven’t tried them fresh yet 🙂 I love mango in salads especially the under-ripe mango.
Tuty, the under-ripe (we say half ripe) tends to hold it’s shape better and not only has a different texture it’s also a bit tart. So it works well in salads.
happy cooking
chris..
p.s. watercress in soups.. never had it. It’s amazing how different countries/cultures have so many different uses for the same thing.
Thanks Chris! Even I, not much of a salad eater, could eat this! Thanks for the dressing recipe too!
Here we go Claudine…
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
In a small jar with a tight-fitting cover, combine the orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey and pepper. Cover and shake well until combined. To store, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Shake well before serving.
Let me know how it turns out.
happy cooking
chris…
Dressing please! 🙂 🙂