Looking for a summer salad your guests will rave about? The search is over. This Mango & Goat's Cheese Salad is light and refreshing and will make you look like a summer entertaining pro. No need to tell your friends that it takes only minutes to prep.
This is the tastiest, least try-hard salad I know. The simple combo of the sweetness of the mango and candied nuts with the creaminess of the goat's cheese is oh-so-satisfying. And if you are in a similar situation to me and happen to have a coriander plant that is growing out of control, this salad will happily take a large handful of it.
Here's what I love about this recipe.... The candied pecan nuts add a real treat-factor to this salad. My top tip is to bulk candy enough nuts to last a few weeks so you don't have to do them each time you make salad. They work great added to most salads or eaten straight from the jar. As a vegetarian, salads like this are essential to any outdoor eating / barbecue situation. A decent salad selection will more than make up for a lack of grilled veggie options. And they are preferable to many of the dodgy substitute-meat burgers out there. As for barbecue lovers, I've been reliably informed that the freshness of this salad offers a perfect contrast to the smokiness of barbecued meats. Making for happy vegetarians and meat-eaters all round.
Scroll on for the recipe for this Mango & Goat's Cheese Salad with Maple Candied Pecan Nuts.
Mango & Goat's Cheese Salad with Maple Candied Pecan Nuts
(Serves 4-6 as a side salad)
Ingredients
2 ripe mangos
100g goat's cheese
Large handful of coriander leaves
50g pecan nuts
4 tbsp maple syrup
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
Start with the pecan nuts. Gently heat 4 tbsp maple syrup in a medium size saucepan until it begins to simmer. Add a decent pinch of sea salt and the pecan nuts and swirl the saucepan to cover the nuts with maple syrup. Continue to heat the maple syrup over a low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. After approx ten minutes the maple syrup will thicken and coat the nuts. Tip the nuts onto parchment paper and allow to cool before roughly chopping the nuts. Set to one side.
Cut the mango flesh into cubes, discarding the stone and the peel. Roughly crumble the goats cheese and mix with the mango. Pull each of the coriander leaves from the stalks and add them to the mango and cheese. Tip onto a serving plate and drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the chopped pecan nuts on top and serve.
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