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Bon Appétit

Tomato and Mango Salad in Aguachile

Image may contain Dish Food Meal Bowl Platter and Plant
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco and Tom Cunanan, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime

Aguachile is the spicy relative of ceviche that leans heavily on chiles for heat and lime juice for acidity. In this recipe from Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint in D.C., hearts of palm, mango, and tomatoes replace the traditional raw shrimp.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 servings

Ingredients

Aguachile

12

oz. tomatillos (10–12), husks removed, rinsed

6

serrano chiles, halved lengthwise, seeds removed

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

2

Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Assembly

1

large or 2 small mangoes, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces

¼

white onion, thinly sliced

1

lb. tomatoes (about 2 large), cut into bite-size pieces

1

14-oz. can hearts of palm, drained, cut into 1" pieces

Fresh cilantro sprigs (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Aguachile

    Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Combine tomatillos and chiles on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of oil, season with salt, and toss to coat. Grill, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over, 8–10 minutes for tomatillos and about 4 minutes for chiles. Return to baking sheet; let cool.

    Step 2

    Purée tomatillos and 2 chile halves in a blender until smooth. Add lime juice; taste and season with salt. Set remaining chiles aside for serving.

    Step 3

    Do Ahead: Aguachile can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and stir in a splash of water to loosen before using.

  2. Assembly

    Step 4

    Arrange mangoes, onion, tomatoes, and hearts of palm on a platter. Drizzle aguachile over and top with cilantro and reserved chiles.

Explore Bon AppétitSaladFilipinoSoutheast AsianAsianTomatilloVegetableSerrano ChileChileMangoStone FruitFruitTomatoHearts of PalmStarterSideDairy-FreeGluten-FreeNut-FreeVegetarianVeganHealthyishGrillingDinner
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  • With their recent surge in popularity, hearts of palm harvesting has caused a world of pain for single-stalked palms (like coconut palm and sabal palm) and the animals who make their homes near these towering trees. Harvesting the core from a palm tree with only one stalk means the entire plant dies, leading to deforestation and destructive monocultures. In some cases, species of palm trees are reaching near extinction. Loggers who are hungry to cash in on the global appetite for the crop have been found to be illegally clearing large swaths of rainforest in order to over-harvest the hearts, often targeting older plants which produce the seeds that allow trees to reproduce.

    • Sherry

    • 9/4/2023