Tomato and Avocado Salad

Recipe:

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Serves 4 | Time: 5 minutes

This tomato and avocado salad takes Cynthia Verna back to her days in Haiti. “I can see myself eating under a coconut tree, in a hammock, drinking some coconut water,” she said about the recipe her grandmother served on Sundays. “That’s all I need. That avocado salad.”

The firm fat of the avocado balances the tart bite of the raw red onions. The acidity of the lemon juice and cherry tomatoes mellows the sharp peaks and valleys of the ingredients, making for a refreshing and tropical dish that is also easy to put together.

Avocado meat will oxidize and turn brown if unattended. To prevent this, prepare the other ingredients before cutting into the avocado. The lemon juice slows the oxidation process considerably.

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Cynthia Verna is a chef and author who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. During the pandemic we will be publishing traditional and easy Caribbean-inspired recipes as part of our special Stay-at-Home Issue.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups avocado, cubed (about 3 of the Hass variety)
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved (about a dozen)
⅔ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tbs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

PREPARATION:

Cut a firm, yet ripe, avocado into quarters lengthwise. Make a small cut on one end of each slice and peel off the skin. Cut each slice into ½-inch chunks and place in a large salad bowl.

Add the cherry tomatoes before adding the onion, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper to the mixture.

Gently toss and serve.

This recipe appears in Taste the Islands: Culinary Adventures in a Caribbean Kitchen — a cookbook Cynthia Verna co-authored with Hugh Sinclair and Calibe Thompson. This version has been reprinted with permission of the publisher, University Press of Florida, 2020.