Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts

My Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts is a a gorgeous fusion of savoury and sweet, enhanced with a delicate dressing. It is an homage to an appetizer salad I ate at a restaurant called Galleria in Cambridge, England. Our son is in the process of relocating to Cambridge, so it is a place I’ve been spending a lot more time recently.

The Galleria is an independent restaurant located at the foot of Magdalen Bridge with views over both St John’s and Magdalen College. The menu is modern fusion, so you can enjoy everything from Moroccan and Indian inspired dishes, to innovative seafood, delicious pasta and great steak. I’ve eaten at The Galleria twice. Both times I have ordered their Beetroot and Mango Salad with Walnuts and Pomegranate Seeds.

The first time I ordered the salad, the dressing was a sundried tomato and olive oil dressing, the second time, the dressing had pesto in it (below).

While beets and mango may sound like an unlikely combination, they really do work together deliciously. Colourful, nicely spiced and beautifully presented, the Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts and Pomegranates is a light beginning to a meal.

Recreating Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts and Pomegrantes

I was determined to recreate the salad at home, but decided to switch up the dressing a little as I love a good Balsamic Vinaigrette. I thought it would compliment the flavours of the ingredients, without venturing too much into the territory of pickled beets, an ingredient many Brits don’t have a lot of love for.

You see, a lot of my friends have terrible memories of being forced to clean their plates during school lunches in England. Apparently a questionable variety of pickled beetroot appears to have been served.  They were nothing like the delicious, gently spiced pickled beets my late Mom used to make, and which I remember incredibly fondly.

Anyway, the beets in this salad are simply roasted, chilled and sliced. There’s no vinegar involved, until it comes to the dressing, and then it’s sweet Balsamic, so it’s all good. I tend to cheat and use pre-cooked beets that I can buy in the supermarket, but it’s easy enough to roast beets yourself. If I do this, I roast a lot at a time as they keep well in the fridge.

Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts is Good for You

My Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts is also full of healthy ingredients. Beets and mango contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre, as do walnuts, which also contain omega-3 fats. Pomegranates are considered a super food, a rich source of antioxidants equal to green tea and red wine, and they also contain potassium.

Perfect for Entertaining

You can make the recipe up to where you add the beets ahead of time, but do finish it off at the last minute or the beets will colour the rest of the salad too much. Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts and a Balsamic Vinaigrette makes a wonderful light lunch for two or an elegant starter for four.

Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts Printable Recipe

5.0 from 2 reviews

Beet and Mango Salad with Walnuts

 

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Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups bite size pieces of mixed lettuces
• 8 medium cooked beetroot (beets), peeled and cooled
• 1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• For the dressing:
• 2 tablespoons good Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• a generous pinch of salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Put the lettuce and half the walnuts in a bowl.
2. Shake the Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, honey, salt and pepper together in a jar.
3. Drizzle half the dressing over the salad and toss.
4. Divide the dressed lettuce and walnuts between 4 medium plates.
5. Cut the beetroot into slices or small chunks, depending on what you prefer.
6. Arrange the beetroot and mango slices on top of the dressed lettuce and walnuts.
7. Scatter the salads with the remaining walnuts and the pomegranate seeds.
8. Serve with the remainder of the dressing on the side.

3.4.3177

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