This is the recipe that you want to bookmark if you’re on a multiple week camping trip in the middle of summer. This Failsafe Summer Salad (Vegetarrian & Camping-Friendly) is so versatile that there’s always something to switch out if you’re missing an ingredient. It’s a tried and tested favorite and works well for outdoor picnics or potluck lunches.
Why you’ll love this dish when you’re camping
This recipe uses ingredients that keep well with minimal to no refrigeration. Using ingredients that don’t require refrigeration is a must if you’re preparing food outdoors or on the road. Especially if your storage options are limited to a cooler box.
Focusing on plants when you’re camping is not only cost-efficient, but also reduces the health risk of eating spoiled animal based foods.
This summer salad is so versatile! It’s based on the combination of a few basic ingredients that allow you to switch out everything else and use up leftovers you may have.
It’s bright and colorful, and a beautiful addition to any table spread, the definition of eating the rainbow.
An affordable staple on our last camping trip
This recipe was on regular rotation on our three-week road trip through California. No matter where we were, we could always find the ingredients and source them for a reasonable price. Cilantro, tomatoes and mangoes are available almost year round in California and grown locally. This means ingredients were local and flavorful.
- When you’re camping or on the road
- When you’re invited for a potluck or picknick
- When you’re craving a refreshing salad as a side
How to pair this recipe with vegetarian camping-friendly foods
Baked Potatoes: This salad works wonderfully as a side to a baked potato. Baked potatoes are one of the best foods to make over an open fire. I usually have at least one potato in the fire, even when I’m not planning on having it for the meal I’m currently making. This is because large potatoes need a good hour or so when you’re cooking with an open fire. This means if I know I’ll want to have a baked potato for dinner I’ll let it sit in the fire while I’m making breakfast and then again while I’m cooking over an open campfire for dinner.
Grilled portabello mushrooms: Another great hearty side to serve alongside the salad are roasted or grilled portabello mushrooms. Because of their large size, you can cut them into bite sized pieces or serve them like a piece of meat. I love roasting them with a teaspoon of olive oil and some spring onions in a cast iron skillet over the fire and seasoning with a little hot sauce and salt.
Corn on the Cob: Corn on the cob is one of those foods that was made to be eaten over a campfire. It comes in its own natural wrapper, requires little to no washing, and is tasty without requiring much seasoning. Corn is a great staple and side which is packed with nutrients that will fuel your day in the great outdoors.
Tips and Lessons
Use small red onions if you can find them. The reason I suggest this because the recipe only requires half a cup of diced onions. If you use a large onion and keep the other half in a cooler box, it will leave an unpleasant smell. Cooking on the road is all about estimating proportions, because there is so little storage space.
Eat the leftovers as tortilla filling paired with roasted portabello mushrooms and black beans for a hearty breakfast to fuel a day of hiking or outdoors adventures.
Use full fat sour cream. If you are using dairy, make sure it’s the full fat version. This makes a huge difference to the taste. If you’re watching your dairy or fat intake and want to use low fat sour cream, I suggest you leave out the sour cream altogether. Using low fat sour cream really misses out on the taste.
This is a seasonal salad that depends on fresh and ripe ingredients for its taste. Make this recipe when the produce is in season and readily available and affordable. The absolute minimum you need for this salad is ripe tomatoes and fresh cilantro.
Dice the Mango instead of peeling it
Peeling mangos is tedious, you can never get it right and by the end the whole fruit is warm and mushy in your hand, at least that was my experience. Dicing instead of peeling the mango really is the way to go. Because this is hard to convey in the instructions, I’ve linked a video.
If you do want to follow my instructions on how to dice a mango, this is how I do it: Make sure the stem is on top, then cut vertically, ¼ inch away from the midline. Make the same cut on the other side. This should give you two halves and the middle bit which has the seed. Pick up each of the two halves and cut a grid like pattern without going through the mango skin into each one of them. Then take one of the halves and push it “inside out.” Slice the cubes off of the mango skin. Add the mango cubes into the large bowl.
Here is the video, in case you want to watch instead:
Swaps and Alternatives
Make it dairy free and vegan by leaving out the sour cream. If you do this, make sure to use enough citrus acid instead. This is because the sour cream adds acidity (sourness) to the dish. If you leave out the sour cream, make sure to add another source of acidity to balance out the flavor.
Swap out the hot sauce for sweet and sour sauce. This works in a pinch. It’s a slightly different taste profile and makes for an overall sweeter salad, but it’s still a great combination.
If you absolutely cannot source fresh fruit to add to the salad, you can use canned mangoes or pineapples. These won’t produce the same fresh flavor and bite as fresh mangoes, but it’s a great workaround and an option that is indefinitely storable. This is also a great way to go if you’re camping in Europe or somewhere, where tropical fruits are not locally grown.
If you are intolerant to raw onions, add in spring onions instead. These will give the salad a little bit of crunch and a bit of flavor. If you’re short on spring onions, you could also add in a handful of chopped chives.
Ingredients
- Two large ripe tomatoes or two cups of small cherry tomatoes
- One small red onion
- one half cup full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- one large ripe mango
- 1/4 cup spring onions (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon concentrate or juice of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (salsa picante)
Equipment you will need
- Large bowl or deep plate
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Spoon or Fork for mixing
How to make Failsafe Summer Salad (Vegetarian & Camping-friendly)
Equipment
- Large bowl or deep plate
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Spoon or Fork for mixing
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe tomatoes or two cups of small cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 large ripe mango
- 1/4 cup spring onions optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon concentrate or juice of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce salsa picante
Instructions
Cut up the Veggies and Fruit
- Dice the tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the large bowl. You want the pieces of tomato to be about half an inch (roughly 1cm) in size. This means they’ll still have a bit of structure, but be small enough to be easily incorporated into a salad.
- Dice the red onion so you have small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the less intense the taste of the onion overall. I try to cut up the pieces as small as possible and stop when I grow tired of cutting the onions. Add the onions little by little into the large bowl. I taste test to see how pungent the onions are before I add all of them in. Adjust to taste and go little by little.
- Dice the mango. The easiest way to do this is this: Make sure the stem is on top, then cut vertically, ¼ inch away from the midline. Make the same cut on the other side. This should give you two halves and the middle bit which has the seed. Pick up each of the two halves and cut a grid like pattern without going through the mango skin into each one of them. Then take one of the halves and push it “inside out.” Slice the cubes off of the mango skin. Add the mango cubes into the large bowl.
Add the aromatics
- Wash the spring onions and mince. Add to the large bowl little by little. Use the same procedure as with the red onion: Some spring onions are more pungent than others, so make sure to taste test.
- Wash the cilantro well and mince it. Add the minced cilantro little by little to the salad bowl.
Seasoning and Sauce
- Add one teaspoon (or less) hot sauce to the large bowl with the vegetables. Toss well and taste to see if you want it a little more spicy.
- Once you’re satisfied, add in the half cup of sour cream. Toss well and taste test to see if you’d like to adjust the hot sauce or add in more sour cream.
Finishing touches
- If you want a little more oomph, add a spritz of lemon juice concentrate.
- Finally sprinkle some salt to taste, toss well and enjoy.