Salad palmis

Ingredients

The palm heart

• 1fresh palm heart
• or 600 g tinned
• drained and rinsed
• see the notes

The dressing

• juice of 3 limes
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• salt and black pepper

Sometimes added

• 1onion, sliced very thin
• 1chilli, chopped
• chopped parsley
• or coriander
• grated carrot

To serve

• chilled
• as a salad or side
• with grilled fish

Directions

1. Cut palm heart browns in the air. It should not be overwhelmed at all. Strip off the tough outer layers. Peel the layers away one at a time.
2. Keep going until it turns tender. The tender part is pale and smooth. Press a fingernail into the layer. It should mark easily if tender. Keep peeling until they do not. Trim off the base and any woody parts. Cut away anything that resists a knife.
3. Discard all of the rest entirely. Drain and rinse the tinned hearts. Rinse off all of the packing brine. Rinse them under cold running water. Pat all of them dry afterward. Shred the palm heart very finely.
4. Shred it lengthwise along the grain. Work slowly and quite carefully. Slice them thinly rather than grating. Squeeze the lime over the shreds at once. Lime stops the browning entirely. Whisk the lime juice with the oil. Add the sugar, salt and pepper. It is not enough to taste sweet.
5. Pour the dressing over the shreds. Toss it gently rather than stirring. Lift and turn them with two forks. Coat every one of the shreds evenly.
6. Add thin onion, chilli or herbs. Thin onion adds sharpness and crunch. Keep the additions light though. Too much buries its delicate flavour.
7. Add sparingly rather than generously. Refrigerate it for thirty minutes. Turn it out into a serving dish. Pile it loosely rather than pressing it. Scatter fresh herbs over the top. Serve it cold from the fridge. It keeps one day refrigerated.

Technique

• The palm heart is the single growing bud at the top of the trunk, and a palm has only one growing point — removing it stops all growth and the tree cannot recover, so a whole palm dies for one heart. That is exactly why it is called millionaire’s salad.
• Wild palm harvesting is a real concern and some species have been over-harvested; palms are now grown on plantations specifically for this, fast-growing varieties harvested at a few years old, which avoids the problem. Buy plantation-grown or tinned where you can.
• Cut palm heart browns in the air, so squeeze lime over the shreds the moment they are cut and do not leave them exposed. Dress it close to serving too: lime softens the shreds over time and an hour is about the maximum before it loses its crispness.

Substitutions

• Tinned palm heart is widely sold, cooked and packed in brine — softer than fresh and slightly briny, so rinse the brine off thoroughly. It is the practical route for most, and slicing it thinly holds it together better than grating, since it falls apart more readily.
• A coarse grater, a sharp knife and a vegetable peeler all work for shredding, giving fine shreds or ribbons; all are genuinely used.

Variations

• With a fresh heart, peel the tough outer layers away one at a time until it turns tender — press a fingernail in and it should mark easily, where tough layers resist entirely. Trim the base and anything woody, and use only the pale smooth core.
• Shred it lengthwise along the grain into long delicate threads, since coarse pieces are tough to chew and fine shreds take up the dressing. Toss it gently with two forks rather than stirring, since the shreds break easily.
• Keep the dressing and any additions light — lime, oil, salt and a little sugar to round off the acidity — since the palm heart is the point and too much buries its delicate flavour. The atlas also carries Mauritian salade de palmiste, the same dish on another island with the same French colonial history.

History

A whole palm must be felled for one heart, which is why it is called millionaire’s salad; it is now grown on plantations for the trade.

Frequently asked questions

What is Salad palmis?

Salad palmis is a salad & side from Seychelles: raw heart of palm shredded fine with lime, known as millionaire’s salad. A whole palm must be felled for one heart, which is why it is called millionaire’s salad; it is now grown on plantations for the trade.

How long does Salad palmis take to make?

Salad palmis takes 30 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Salad palmis?

Yes, within limits. Tinned palm heart is widely sold, cooked and packed in brine — softer than fresh and slightly briny, so rinse the brine off thoroughly. It is the practical route for most, and slicing it thinly holds it together better than grating, since it falls apart more readily. A coarse grater, a sharp knife and a vegetable peeler all work for shredding, giving fine shreds or ribbons; all are genuinely used.

What is the most important thing to get right in Salad palmis?

Keep going until it turns tender. The tender part is pale and smooth. Press a fingernail into the layer. It should mark easily if tender. Keep peeling until they do not. Trim off the base and any woody parts. Cut away anything that resists a knife.