Island Chopped Salad Recipe

Prep vegetables and fruit

Seed and peel the cucumber if desired, then cut into small, roughly 1/4-inch dice to make the salad easy to eat. Peel and dice the mango into the same approximate size. Peel, pit and dice the avocado into similar-sized pieces. Dice the red bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. Slice hearts of palm into 1/4-inch rounds. Thinly slice and drain the pickled red onion. Coarsely chop the cilantro.

Combine salad components

In a large bowl, gently toss the diced cucumber, mango, avocado, hearts of palm, red pepper, and pickled onion until evenly distributed. Add the chopped cilantro.

Season salad

Sprinkle the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper over the combined salad and toss gently to combine. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice over the salad and toss again. Taste and adjust salt or lime juice as needed.

Crumble cheese

Crumble 3 oz queso añejo into fine pieces. If the cheese is very dry, let it sit at room temperature 10 minutes to soften slightly before blending.

Blend dressing

In a blender or food processor, combine the crumbled queso añejo, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, honey, minced garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. Pulse to combine, then blend on low speed until smooth and creamy. If the dressing is too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach a pourable but still creamy consistency.

Adjust and chill

Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning with additional salt, lime or honey as desired. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept chilled.

Just before serving, give the dressing a quick stir. Pour about 3 to 4 tablespoons of queso añejo dressing over the tossed salad (reserve extra on the side). Gently fold the dressing through so mango and avocado remain intact and the salad is evenly coated. Taste and add a little more salt, pepper, or a squeeze of lime if desired.

Transfer the salad to a serving platter or individual bowls. Drizzle a final small amount (optional) of olive oil and garnish with a few extra crumbles of queso añejo or a sprig of cilantro. Serve immediately.