We all love ripe mangos, right? But don’t wrinkle your nose at the unripe ones, as they are excellent in a fresh spring sallad.
By Jessica Smith
Mango season is upon us, and the fruit is available in abundance in Thailand. Here, ripe mangos are purchased (and consumed) by the bag-full this time of year. Although ripe mangos have a profound and unique sweetness, their green (unripe) counterparts are worth a second look. 
The green variety is delicious on its own, as evidenced by its popularity as a snack in Bangkok. Sliced into wedges, tossed in a plastic bag and topped with a mixture of salt, sugar and ground chili, green mangos are a common treat for people on the run.
Green mangos also bring texture and dimension to savory dishes. This simple salad highlights their crisp, tart, almost citrus flavor.
Green Mango Salad with Avocado, Shrimp and Cashews
serves 4 as a side dish
-Ingredients-
2 green (unripe) mangos
3 Tbsp. (45 ml) sunflower or other mild oil
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup (125 g) boiled shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails intact
1/2 cup (70 g) roasted unsalted cashews
1 ripe avocado, cut into thin slices
several wedges of lime, for serving
Peel mangos and cut into matchsticks or shred using the large holes on a box grater. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, lime juice, honey, salt and cayenne. Toss mangos in dressing just until lightly coated (not all of the dressing may be needed). Add shrimp and cashews, stirring gently to combine. Just before serving, top with avocado slices and garnish with lime wedges. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
It sure would be nice if you would make a “printer friendly” option for these recipes.
Mangoes and avocadoes go beautifully together, and this recipe looks great. I don’t eat animal foods so am wondering if a good substitution for the shrimp would be a mild white bean or tofu?
Thank you so much!
Hey Higgy
Thanks for the nice comment – yes, we actually are implementing printer friendly recipes at the moment, so going forward all of the new recipes will have a “print this” button.
Hi Higgy,
Thank you for your comment. Absolutely – I think that tofu would make a reasonable substitution if you want to maintain the protein element of the dish. I have omitted the shrimp in this recipe in the past and find it to be satisfying even without. The cashews give it nice crunch and flavor, so you might consider increasing them to 100g or so if serving without the shrimp. Enjoy!