Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad
The Bajan-style salad features chunks of tender sweet potato, red onion, bell pepper, corn, and pineapple in satiny, herb-infused mayo dressing. It’s unlike any “potato salad” you’ve ever had. In Barbados, I enjoyed it warm AND cold – it’s spectacular both ways. In fact, it’s so divine, I’m adding it to my holiday table this year!
The amount of flavor in this sweet potato salad is off the charts. Say goodbye to bland potato salad because this dish is incredibly flavorful. First, the sweet potatoes are partnered with onion, garlic, bell pepper, corn, and pineapple. The savory ingredients perfectly complement the sweet/tangy pineapple. Next, everything is tossed in an herby, cilantro-spiked mayonnaise dressing. Colorful, flavorful, and wildly addictive.
We use Bajan seasoning to catapult the dressing. What is Bajan seasoning? Bajan seasoning is an herb and spice blend featuring onion, thyme, garlic, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, parsley, marjoram, ginger, fenugreek, cumin, anise, allspice, habanero, lime, cinnamon, mustard, mace, and cardamom. Brands vary, but that’s the gist. The combination of herbs and spices is savory and warm and adds tremendous flavor to this salad. If desired, you may use Caribbean seasoning instead.
You can serve this salad warm or chilled. As mentioned above, I had it both ways in Barbados. When we made it in our cooking class, the sweet potatoes were slightly warm when they hit the salad (which was great because they absorbed the dressing better that way). Once the salad was tossed, we dug right in. That said, on our catamaran cruise, we enjoyed a very similar salad chilled. It’s excellent no matter how you serve it.
How should you serve your Caribbean sweet potato salad? We enjoyed this salad alongside fried flying fish, Bajan fish cakes, and Bajan macaroni pie. Serve it how you would serve your favorite potato salad – with beef, chicken, seafood, and other veggies. And since it’s great warm or chilled, it can go from your holiday table to a picnic at the beach!
Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound white sweet potatoes, about 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise of choice
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Bajan seasoning, or Caribbean seasoning
- 15- ounce can corn, drained
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 fresh, ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and pour over enough cold water to cover. Let stand for 30 to 45 minutes (this removes excess starch from the potatoes).
- Drain the potatoes, transfer them to a large pot and pour over enough cold water to cover by 1-inch. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and gently boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and set aside to cool (hot sweet potatoes will fall apart if you try to assemble the salad right away).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, cilantro, and Bajan seasoning. Fold in the corn, bell pepper, pineapple, red onion, and garlic. Gently fold in the potatoes.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve warm or chilled.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.