Peruvian Chonta Salad

Chonta salad is a Peruvian starter made with chonta, or hearts of palm, together with tomato, onion, avocado, and lettuce, dressed with lime.

It’s a simple preparation, common in the Amazon region and in restaurants across the country.

Peruvian Chonta Salad

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• Author: Recetas123
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Peruvian

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 500 g chonta (hearts of palm)
• 4 limes
• 7 tomatoes
• 5 onions
• 2 avocados
• 1 medium head of lettuce
• 2 teaspoons of oil
• ½ teaspoon of pepper
• Salt, to taste

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Preparation

1. Prepare the onions, wash all the vegetables well; peel the onions, cut them into thin strips, and place them in a bowl of warm water to soften their sharpness.
2. Prepare the chonta, pull the chonta apart into strips, rinse it once more, and cut it into small squares; set it aside in a bowl.
3. Cut the rest, slice the tomatoes thinly and fan-cut the avocados.
4. Make the dressing, squeeze the limes and mix the juice with the oil, pepper, and salt to taste.
5. Assemble the salad, arrange a bed of lettuce on a platter, top it with the chonta, tomatoes, drained onions, and avocados, and pour over the dressing.

Tips

• If you buy fresh chonta, remove the core before using it; canned hearts of palm are ready to use.
• You can replace the lime with about two teaspoons of vinegar.
• Leave the onion in warm water for a few minutes to mellow it.

Traditional variations

• It can be rounded out with broccoli, cucumber, or radish.

How to serve

Serve the salad freshly dressed, as a cool starter.

Recommended pairings

• Grilled fish
• Juane
• Tacacho with cecina

Did you know?

Chonta is the tender heart of the palm; in the Peruvian Amazon it’s also used in broths and soups.