Spinach and Papaya Salad with Cashews

As summer days heat up, it’s a treat to be able to put together a dish that is beautiful and filling, but requires no heat from the stove or oven. Spinach and Papaya Salad with Cashews has tropical flavors, eye-catching colors, and is packed with flavor. It can come together in less than 30 minutes. And it uses a surprise ingredient.

Spinach meets color and crunch

This salad is based upon a recipe by Regina Schrambling that I found in the Los Angeles Times Food section many years ago. I am always looking for interesting salads to add to our table. Schrambling’s recipe grabbed my attention with its combination of verdant spinach, sweet papayas and crunchy cashews.

The dressing calls for the addition of the surprise ingredient—some papaya seeds, which I had never considered eating before.  I scooped a few from the halved fruit and set them aside.

These black shiny seeds sport a peppery flavor and bring a speckled appearance to the pretty pink vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette

In the past I mixed the vinaigrette in my stand blender to take advantage of the chopping action of the blades for the papaya seeds. This time I pulled out my immersion blender to mix the dressing in stages, with the final step chopping the seeds. It worked fantastically and was a lot easier to clean up.

Dressing up the salad

Returning to this recipe recently, I decided to add more textures and flavors to the original with red onions and avocado. To take the bite out of the raw red onions, I immersed the slices in a mixture of warm red wine vinegar and water. A short time in this vinegar bath tames the onions’ flavor but also softens their texture a bit.

Once lifted from the soaking liquid, the onion slices keep a note of the red vinegar, which complements the salad dressing. The avocado brings a chunky yet creamy note to the salad.

Every bite of this dish offers contrasting textures and flavors together: silky, sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy.  The salad is a great complement to a grilling spread, but can also be also a filling lunch. We love this salad as it is, but it could definitely be the canvas for a grilled protein like chicken or pork or shrimp or tofu.

Whenever we enjoy this summery salad, I feel like we’ve brought a bit of the tropics to our table —without the heat.

Spinach and Papaya Salad with Cashews

Dawn Dobie

Refreshing salad that has tropical flavors and comes together quickly

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the salad:

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 9 ounces fresh spinach leaves
• 1 medium papaya (heaping tablespoon of seeds set aside once cut)
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted cashews

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup sunflower or canola oil
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

For the salad:

• Place the red onions in a small bowl. Prepare the onion by combining the red wine vinegar and water in a measuring cup and microwaving for 1 minute, or until quite warm. Pour the vinegar solution over the onion slices and allow them to steep for 10-30 minutes.
• Sort through the clean spinach, removing stems from the leaves. Place in a large bowl.
• Cut the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds, reserving 1 generous tablespoon in a small bowl. Peel the papaya halves. Cut each in half lengthwise, then divide each half into two, so that you have four equal lengthwise portions. Cut these into 1/2-inch slices. Set aside.

For the dressing

• Combine the vinegar, shallot, sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire in a small blender or the cup of an immersion blender. Blend until combined. While the blades are running, pour in the sunflower or canola oil and blend until well mixed. Add the reserved papaya seeds and blend again, until the seeds are coarsely chopped. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Toss the spinach leaves with about half of the the dressing and transfer the mixture to a wide serving bowl or deep platter. Peel and cut avocado into 1/2-inch dice. Drain vinegar solution from red onions. Place papaya, avocado, and red onion slices on top of the dressed spinach. Sprinkle cashews on top. Serve.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe by Regina Schrambling published in the Los Angeles Times (May 21, 2008).

 

Components (except avocado) for salad can be prepped several hours ahead of time and stored separately.  Keep spinach, cut papaya, drained onions and dressing refrigerated.  Cashews can be covered and stored at room temperature. To serve, toss the spinach with the dressing and top with papaya, red onion slices, freshly cubed avocado, and cashews.