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Easy Caribbean Papaya Salad Recipe

Published on by Elizabeth 163 Comments
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This super easy Caribbean papaya salad recipe comes from the island of St Maarten, and it tastes fantastic with BBQ chicken, shrimp or other grilled meats/seafood. This post contains Amazon and Pomora affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and Pomora affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. With thanks to P&O Cruises for the opportunity to learn about Caribbean cuisine.

Caribbean Papaya Salad #fruitsalad #papaya #Caribbean

I know it’s a bit early in the year to be sharing recipes for summer BBQs, but we’ve just recently returned home after an amazing eight-night Caribbean cruise with P&O Cruises. We’re still in summer holiday mode, despite the heavy snowfall we’re experiencing in Shetland, and I’ve been super excited to share this gorgeous easy papaya salad recipe with you all.

Our third shore excursion, after boarding the cruise ship Azura in Barbados and visiting the islands of Tortola and St. Kitts, was on the tiny Caribbean island of St Maarten. There, we were treated to an Island Delights tour, where, at one of the stops, we enjoyed a cookery demonstration. 

Island Delights Saint Maarten Caribbean

We learned how to make this gorgeous papaya salad, Colombo chicken and a rather indulgent banana flambe made with locally brewed spiced rum. More blog posts with video will be up soon, once we’ve had a chance to edit all the footage.

In the meantime, here’s a papaya salad recipe that might inject a bit of Caribbean summer vibe into these cold UK winter days!

Ingredients for Caribbean Papaya Salad

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS CARIBBEAN PAPAYA SALAD RECIPE

  • fresh papaya – one or two, depending on the size
  • red onion – half a large one, or a whole small one
  • spring onions/scallions – one good sized one or two smaller ones
  • fresh coriander leaves (replace with mint or basil if you don’t like the taste of coriander)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • the juice of one lemon
  • 60 ml/ 2 oz/ 0.3 cup good quality olive oil – I use Pomora

how to make papaya salad

HOW TO MAKE THIS CARIBBEAN PAPAYA SALAD RECIPE

Step 1: cut your fresh papaya in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh (not the peel) into one-centimetre dice. Place in a small bowl.

Step 2: peel and finely dice the red onion and add to the bowl.

Step 3: finely dice the spring onion/scallions and add to the bowl.

Step 4: squeeze over the juice of one lemon.

Step 5: pour over your good quality olive oil.

Step 6: add your fresh herbs, season well to taste and toss gently to mix. Leave to sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature for the flavours to develop.

Caribbean Papaya Salad

This is a remarkably versatile salad and you can mix and match your Caribbean fruits as desired. Why not add melon, or cantaloupe, pomegranate or mango? If fresh coriander is not your thing, you can substitute fresh basil or even mint. 

It’s perfect with Caribbean jerk chicken cooked outdoors on the BBQ (which we also tried in St. Maarten, photo below!), or grilled seafood and shrimps.

Caribbean BBQ Jerk Chicken

CARIBBEAN CUISINE

The Caribbean diet is a combination of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, Dutch and Indian flavours due to the influence of the people who explored and migrated to the area hundreds of years ago.

It’s an intense and flavoursome diet, with a focus on bright colours and freshness. It’s also a diet rich in plants and low in red meat.

The Caribbean diet is also very high in seafood, supplemented with a little chicken or goat served as a side or garnish, rather than centre stage like our Western diet. Salt is used sparingly, and herbs and spices are used to flavour dishes instead, often in the form of marinades.

Caribbean Papaya Salad

POMORA NEW EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

When we returned home from our cruise, our quarterly delivery of Pomora olive oil had arrived. It was the arrival of this gorgeous, freshest, unfiltered olive oil that spurred me on to recreate this papaya salad at home right away.

Olio nuovo is bottled straight after the olive harvest, an event that is celebrated with a gathering of friends and family at the frantoio. The oil has a vibrant green colour, a distinct fresh flavour and a pizzicante finish – perfect for this easy papaya salad recipe.

Pomora are a small UK business who works closely with two olive oil producers in Italy – Carmello in Sicily and Antonio in Campania. As their growing regions are vastly different, so is the flavour of their oil. 

Each quarter I receive a shipment of 3 x 250ml tins of olive oil from Antonio’s family farm. The first shipment of the year is this gorgeous olio nuovo, while the second shipment is a trio of flavoured extra virgin olive oils in rosemary, lemon and chilli. Then, in the late summer, a shipment of extra virgin olive oil arrives, followed by another trio of flavoured oils in basil, garlic and white truffle.

They’re an incredibly delicious brand of olive oil, and I’ve been working with them for years. Prices for their quarterly subscription start from £29 per quarter, and I’m delighted to say their oil is now available in the USA for as little as $49 per quarter!

Caribbean Papaya Salad

Pomora have very kindly offered my UK readers the chance to win a shipment of this gorgeous olio nuovo. To be in for a chance of winning, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form at the end of this page! 

Have you ever visited the Caribbean? What sort of food did you enjoy while you were there? Let me know in the comments!

Caribbean Papaya Salad #fruitsalad #papaya #Caribbean

Caribbean Papaya Salad

This super easy Caribbean papaya salad recipe comes from St Maarten, and it tastes fantastic with BBQ chicken, shrimp or other grilled meat/seafood.
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Caribbean
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Resting Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 180kcal
Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

Metric - US Cup Measures

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl and toss gently to coat.
  • Let sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature for the flavours to develop.

Video

Notes

You can jazz this recipe up by adding any other Caribbean fruits of your choice: pomegranate, melon, cantaloupe, plantain, mango or even apples.
If fresh coriander (cilantro) is not to your taste, you can replace this with mint or basil, but never parsley as the flavour of parsley is too strong.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 850IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @TangoRaindrop or tag #elizabethskitchendiary!

PIN THIS EASY CARIBBEAN PAPAYA SALAD RECIPE FOR LATER

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Pomora New Olive Oil

POMORA OLIVE OIL GIVEAWAY

Pomora have kindly offered my UK readers the chance to win a shipment of 3 x 250 ml tins of new extra virgin olive oil worth £39! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below!

TERMS & CONDITIONS

This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winner will need to respond within 28 days of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.

The prize is offered and provided by Pomora.  The prize is to win a shipment of 3 x 250 ml tins of new extra virgin olive oil worth £39. There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.

There is no entry fee and no purchase is necessary to enter this giveaway. The promoter (Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary) reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice.

Entry into our giveaways will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winner at random from all the entries received.

Closing date is midnight (that’s 00:00 hours, 12 am on Sunday night/Monday morning) on Monday 18 February 2019 (GMT) and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is not a paid post, although as an Amazon Associate and Pomora affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. With thanks to P&O Cruises for the opportunity to learn about Caribbean cuisine on a recent press trip. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.

Comments

  2. Georgie Wright says


    It’s a wonderfully fresh dish, perfect for when the weather is warmer! I’d add mango & melon as you’ve suggested and I think it would be lovely with some freshly picked mint leaves too.

    Reply

  3. Fiona jk42 says


    This recipe looks delicious and would be lovely to have in the summer. Lucky you going to the Caribbean. I’ve been a few times, to Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. The British Virgin Islands were my favourite.

    Reply

  11. Amy Jo McLellan says

    Sounds and looks delicious! I’ve never thought of a papaya salad before but now I’m desperate to try one.

    Reply

  13. Laura Avery says

    Sounds fab! I’m also thinking , leaving the onions out and subbing for chickpeas. Or for breakfasy dish , leaving them out, adding some pinenuts, sunflower seeds , a dollop of natural yogurt and a twist of lime

    Reply

  23. Mary Baldwin says


    Sounds delicious and a lovely alternative to our usual salads and vegetables. Just thinking how nice this would be with some grilled mackerel as well.

    Reply

  47. Amanda Gregory says


    It sounds absolutely fantastic. I get fed up of having the same thing over and over and this is different and exciting.

    Reply

  62. Marion says


    Looks delicious, will be making it for half term next week with the grandchildren. Not sure if they’re familiar with papaya. I like to go shopping with them and buy slightly more unusual/ interesting fruit and veg.. Last school holiday we had dragon fruit and lychees.

    Reply

  81. Carolyn e says


    I think it is a great recipe. I love Thai papaya salad but it’s so hard to find papayas green and unripe locally. This is perfect as an alternative delicious dish

    Reply

  106. Megan Kinsey says

    I can’t wait to try this recipe! I really like papaya but never know what to do with it other than eating it on its own or in a smoothie so this is great inspiration!

    Reply

  132. Kathleen Marsden says

    I’d love to try it but without the coriander because I loath the stuff. I’d probably substitute parsley

    Reply

  134. Suzanne McCusker says


    Sounds super refreshing, I’d use coriander in the recipe – I love the stuff, with sweet or savory, it adds a big fragrant flavour punch to any dish. I bet it would be the perfect accompaniment to char grilled tiger prawns – I can taste it now!

    Reply

  140. twirlywhirly says

    sorry not tried this yet,this weekend Papaya is on the menufor dinner guests,great colourfel recipe thank you kindly

    Reply

  142. Laura Jeffs says


    It looks nice and refreshing, but I wouldn’t use the coriander as it’s overpowering (I honestly hate coriander!)

    Reply

  152. Rhia P says

    I use olive oil all the time, it’ my oil of choice…
    This recipe sounds really lovely, a taste of sunshine on this grey snowy day!

    Reply

  154. Heather Haigh says

    The recipe looks lovely. I use it in salad dressings and pasta sauces and for stir fries. And cake – but not extra virgin.

    Reply

  156. Cherry Lloyd says

    I’m not used to eating Papaya but the salad looks really refreshing and light. I like to use olive oil all the time with my dishes and cooking and I eat it raw or cook with it. I really enjoy a good quality olive oil.

    Reply

  161. Peter Watson says

    It’s an excelllent recipe.I’ve bought Pomora before and it is the best olive oil wew have had but because it’s pricy and we use about 1 litre of olive oil a day for the Cretan diet it became unaffordable.Try drinking a glass mid-morning the Cretan way and one reason they live to a ripe old age.

    Reply

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