Chayote Squash Salmon Salad

Not only is this salad a fantastic dish, it is filling and satisfying and loaded with Omega oils!!

The fruit is roughly pear shaped with coarse wrinkles. It has a thin light green skin, and a single large flattened tip. The flesh has a fairly bland taste and it's texture can be described as a cross between a potato and a cucumber. 

The fruit does not need to be peeled and can be eaten raw in salads. It can also be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or pickled. Both the fruit and the seed are rich in amino acids and vitamin C.

Chayote Squash

As a child,  every so often my mom would make this salad and at times she would pair it with pork and white rice.

 Another option would be to baked and stuff it with spinach, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes.  Let your imagination run wild!

What you'll need....

4 to 5 medium to large potatoes-scrubbed and washed

1 to 2 Chayote squash-quartered lengthwise

2 to 3 eggs 

1 Tbsp salt

1/3 lb to 1/2 lb Smoked Salmon 

1/2 each of a yellow, red, and orange Bell Pepper - cut Julian style

1 medium red onion-cut into rings 

1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Packet Italian seasoning

1 to 2 crushed garlic cloves   

Cooking Directions 

Place onion rings on a dish and add vinegar till all are covered.

Place potatoes, squash, eggs, and salt into a pot and cover with water.  Cook on medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.  The chayote squash tends to take a little longer to cook than the other vegetables.  When vegetables become tender, remove and set aside to cool. Once completely cooled, peel all vegetables and remove the heart of the chayote (which is in the center part of the squash). 

Using a large casserole dish, start slicing the potatoes into circular pieces as illustrated above and arrange around the dish leaving the center clear, as this is where the salmon will be placed. Now cut the chayote julian style and arrange over the potatoes, doing the same with the eggs.  

Remove any skin from the smoked salmon, crumble the fish, and place it at the center of the casserole dish. 

Last step... you're almost there.

Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil to a pan allow it to heat.  Once hot (not burning), sauté the garlic for approximately 30 seconds.  Remove the onions from the vinegar and add them to the pan with the garlic and continue to sauté.  Add the peppers, vinegar, and Italian seasoning packet.  Sauté for another 30 seconds.  Pour over the salad making sure every bit of the salad gets coated with this mixture.