WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS In salad, buttery avocados demand an acidic dressing to cut their richness. Using a little mayonnaise as an emulsifier allowed us to make a creamy dressing with equal parts vinegar and olive oil. To add flavor and textural contrast, we steered clear of leafy greens and relied on crunchier vegetables like fennel and radishes and sweet, juicy fruits like cherry tomatoes and mango. A garnish of salty cheese was the perfect finishing touch to complement the creamy avocado. Arranging the dressed avocado chunks below the other ingredients maximized visual appeal by preventing the avocado from turning the salad a murky army green. Crumbled feta cheese can be substituted for the ricotta salata. Don’t skip the step of soaking the shallot—the ice water helps tame its oniony bite.
Serves 6
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large shallot, sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 avocados, halved, pitted, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 3 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- 3 ounces ricotta salata, shaved thin
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place shallot in 2 cups ice water and let stand for 30 minutes; drain and pat dry.
- Whisk vinegar, garlic, mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in medium bowl.
- While whisking constantly, drizzle in oil.
- Gently toss avocados with 2 tablespoons dressing and ½ teaspoon salt in separate bowl, then transfer to serving platter.
- Toss shallot, tomatoes, radishes, and basil in bowl with remaining dressing.
- Spoon the mixture over avocados.
- Sprinkle with ricotta salata.
- Serve.
VARIATIONS
- AVOCADO SALAD WITH ORANGES AND FENNEL:
Omit pepper. Substitute sherry vinegar for red wine vinegar and ½ teaspoon hot paprika for garlic in dressing. Substitute 1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced thin for tomatoes, ⅓ cup toasted slivered almonds for radishes, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley for basil, and ¼ cup sliced green olives for ricotta salata. Add 1 teaspoon grated orange zest to dressing in step 2. Cut away peel and pith from 3 oranges, quarter each orange, then slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick pieces and add to shallot mixture.
- AVOCADO SALAD WITH MANGOS AND JICAMA:
Reduce shallot to 1 tablespoon, minced, and skip step 1. Substitute pinch cayenne for garlic and ½ teaspoon lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice for red wine vinegar in dressing. Substitute 2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces for tomatoes; 2 cups peeled jícama cut into 2- inch-long matchsticks for radishes; and feta cheese for ricotta salata. Reduce basil to ¼ cup and add ¼ cup chopped fresh mint to shallot mixture.
