A twist on fattoush, the classic Levantine salad that stars pita chips, this version uses crispy fried tortilla strips dusted in chile powder instead. In place of tomatoes, you’ll find crunchy snap peas. The dressing gets a riff as well, made creamy with avocado and bright from lime juice and a pinch of ground cumin. Freshly fried tortilla strips are thicker and cornier (in a good way!) than store-bought tortilla chips, bringing heft and deeper flavor to the salad, but you can use bagged for an even quicker sprint to the dinner finish line if you so desire.
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What you’ll need
Blender
$40 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Platter
$40 $30 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
6
1
1
1
⅓
3
½
2
1
1
1
10
⅓
Preparation
Step 1
Pour vegetable oil into a medium skillet to come ¼" up sides; heat over medium-high. Working in 2 batches, fry 6 corn tortillas, halved, cut into ½"-thick strips, stirring often, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with 1 tsp. red chile powder and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt.
Step 2
Purée 1 garlic clove, finely grated, ⅓ cup fresh lime juice (3–4 limes), 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, ½ tsp. ground cumin, 1 ripe avocado, and 1 Tbsp. water in a blender or mini-processor until smooth; season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Step 3
Spread half of dressing on a platter. Add 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, cut into thin wedges, 1 large cucumber (about 12 oz.), coarsely chopped, 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced, and 10 oz. sugar snap peas, strings removed, halved on a diagonal, to remaining dressing in bowl; toss to coat. Thinly slice remaining 1 ripe avocado; add to bowl along with tortillas and half of ⅓ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems; toss gently to combine. Transfer salad to platter and scatter remaining half of ⅓ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems over. Season with flaky sea salt and pepper.
How would you rate Crispy Tortilla Salad With Snap Peas and Avocado?
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Reviews (3)
Back to TopAll in all, a tasty recipe I’d repeat with a few modifications. Other commenters have said it felt like it was missing something and adding Mint goes a long long way to rounding out the dish. We added cotija cheese as well which was a nice touch. (Without the mint, it doesn’t actually feel like a fattoush fusion/inspired dish. More like a… unique Tex mix salad someone tried to make in the north east suburbs with whatever vegetables they had leftover) For the dressing, if you buy a large avocado - start by only using half of it or you might find the consistency is too thick to be effective as a dressing (tastes great, just lands between a dipping sauce and a sturdier avocado mayo). To make this a more filling meal, placing it atop rice or including some spicier chicken pairs well with the sweet, tangy, earthy, and coolness (thanks mint) that the dish already offers. 5 stars, will happily make this again with the aforementioned modifications,
Craig Cooks
Washington, DC
8/5/2023
We thought this was quite good. My mods: a can of black beans seasoned with the tortilla chips spices with a substitution of ancho chile powder for chile powder and add'l 1/2 tsp cumin. I used strip tortilla chips instead of preparing them as directed. I used homegrown snow peas, but did not like the idea of eating them raw. I cut them as directed, but then blanched for 1.5 min and cooled in an ice bath. I served it with minced cilantro but chile sauce and or a small topping of grated cotija cheese would have been good too.
CLou
Durham, NC
5/8/2023
I ended up liking this more than I expected...but not enough to make it again. I really enjoyed the crunchiness of the sugar snap peas and the radishes, but I kept feeling like something was missing. I tried adding a bed of romaine (not helpful), some crumbled feta (good), some lightly steamed asparagus (very good), and a few cherry tomatoes (meh) -- but it's still not quite right. I do appreciate the creativity of this recipe, the contrasting textures (tortilla strips are awesome!), and the brightness of the veggies. Give it a try, especially if you like avocadoes.
Maddie
Cape Cod, MA
4/28/2023
Would love nutrition info
Anonymous
4/27/2023