Coleslaw is the perfect summer salad–or for us Florida gardeners–a delightful spring salad. Crisp and crunchy, raw cabbage is not only delicious, but VERY healthy.
Mango is one of my favorite fruits. Sweet and tropical, it pairs perfectly with cilantro–a warm-weather herb in my garden–and the two blend enormously well with coleslaw. As does the red scallion pictured below.
So when faced with a hefty harvest of cabbage this spring, I decided to get creative with a classic favorite. For me, mangoes add the perfect amount of sweetness to cabbage, cucumbers and onions, without becoming overbearing. Did you know that some recipes call for adding sugar to slaw? My mother is a Southern woman who replaces every grain of sugar with salt. I mean, a dash here, a dash there–I’m not sure she can have TOO much salt.
But sugar? It’s not her thing. Unless of course it’s baked into a scrumptious coconut cream pie and then, you have her attention. While I love tropical mangoes, I don’t care for their coconut friends.
Note: This slaw would make the perfect fish taco topping, especially if you added chopped/sliced jalapeno peppers.
Mango Coleslaw
The perfect salad for any spring or summer picnic.
This recipe is super easy. All it requires is fresh chopped ingredients and you’re done. Seriously. That’s it. Best of all, it’s easily modified. Try adding jalapeno peppers to the mix, or sweet onions instead of scallions. Like Asian food? Toss in some shredded carrots and ginger in place of the mango! It’s all good.
Ingredients
1 medium cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 medium cucumber, diced
1 mango, diced
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP extra light olive oil
Juice from 1/2 fresh lime
1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Serve immediately.
3.Chill leftovers (If you have any!).
