Mexican salad

Mexican salad

30 min
This Mexican salad is easy to make and tastes incredible. Serve in layers in a glass jar to create a spectacular effect, and feel free to adjust the proportions and content according to taste. The salad can be made in just half an hour too, so with little effort you’ll get a big reward!
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Instructions

  • Start by making the spiced meat. Melt the butter in a pan at a high heat, but avoid browning it. Fry the yellow onion and garlic in the butter for around 1 minute.
  • Add the meat and fry for a further 5 minutes, until the meat crumbles and changes colour.
  • Add the tomato puree, cumin, chilli, coriander and salt and sauté for around 2 minutes. Add salt to taste.
  • With the meat cooked it’s time to start stacking the salad. If the kidney beans are in liquid, drain and rinse them with water. If they are dry, make sure you have pre-soaked them then drained.
  • Divide the salad ingredients into four jars. Start with the crème fraiche at the bottom, followed by lettuce, avocado, corn, kidney beans, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeños then finish by topping with the spiced beef, salsa and cheese.
  • Serve with nachos and enjoy!
Enjoy!

Mexican salad

How do you prepare a Mexican salad for large gatherings or events?
This salad is incredibly easy to scale up for larger gatherings: our recipe contains enough for four people, so simply multiply the volume of ingredients, sticking to the same proportions, according to how many people you want to serve. Serving in glass jars makes it easy to ensure you have enough for everyone too.
What to drink with a Mexican salad?
A virgin margarita is a great alcohol free Mexican-style drink that will hit home with the salad, and if you’re feeling brave you can even dust the rim of the glass with a combination of chili and salt. A second alternative that’s simple to make but matches the flavour palette is taking lime and ice cold water and combining them with sweeter fruits like watermelon, or the cooling taste of cucumber.
How do you best store leftovers from a Mexican salad?
The cooked mince in the salad has a short shelf-life, so if kept in an air-tight container and refrigerated it should be eaten within three days. If you know you’re going to have leftovers before serving, then keep the components in separate containers rather than adding them to the individual jars, as this will help stop the vegetables from getting soggy.

Ingredients

Spiced mince
Butter
10 g
Large yellow onion, finely chopped
1
Large garlic clove, crushed
1
Minced beef
450 g
Tomato purée
1½ tbsp
Ground cumin
1 tbsp
Crushed chillies
1½ tsp
Ground coriander
1 tsp
Sea salt
1 tsp
Salad and dressing
Red kidney beans (420 g)
1 can
Sour cream
400 ml
Shredded iceberg lettuce
250 g
Avocados, thinly sliced
2
Corn
150 g
Red onions, finely sliced
2
Cherry tomatoes, halved
200 g
Pickled jalapeños
50 g
Strong salsa
125 g
Grated cheese, tex mex
100 g
Salted tortillas chips
150 g
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The magic of Mexican cuisine

This tasty salad features some of the staples of Mexican food: the spiced meat, use of beans and addition of avocado to cool things down are all classics in the country’s cuisine. More than any other ingredient though, it’s corn that is the real cornerstone. Present in virtually every Mexican recipe, corn is the basis of the all-important tortilla, as well as other well-known dishes like tamales, quesadillas, and the seasoned corn sold by street food vendors across the American nation.

Using different protein in your Mexican salad

We chose to use beef mince in this recipe, but there are plenty of alternatives that combine well with Mexican flavours. Spiced prawns are a perfect candidate and adds some extra crunch, while grilled chicken is a leaner option. Vegetarian protein alternatives can also do the job – stick to the spice mix in the recipe and the outcome should be similar.

The three best dressings for your Mexican salad

Some alternative Mexican-inspired dressings to use on the dish include salsa verde (a tomatillo, lime and chili mix that packs a minor kick), a simple coriander, oil and lime vinaigrette, or a smoky combination of chipotle, oil and honey. All can be made with varying proportions according to taste, so get experimenting!

Try adding corn chips

Adding some homemade totopos (corn chips) is a great way to lift this salad even further and wow your guests. They couldn’t be any simpler to prepare: all you need is corn tortillas, preferably ones that are slightly stale. Slice them into triangles then heat in hot oil in a pan. Once they go golden brown and crunchy, remove from the oil, dab off any excess liquid, and you’re good to go!

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