Avocado and black bean salad

Marc prepared this dish with permission from Mike McEnearney from Kitchen by Mike, one of his favourite restaurants.

Credit: Danielle Abou Karam

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 avocados
• 3 spring onions, cut into a fine julienne
• handful coriander sprigs
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Black bean vinaigrette

• 250 ml (1 cup) olive oil
• 90 g salted black beans, well rinsed
• 3 cm piece ginger, cut into a fine julienne
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small red capsicum, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped  
• 100 ml Japanese rice vinegar
• 75 ml light soy sauce
• 2 tsp caster sugar, or to taste 
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. For the black bean vinaigrette, heat half the oil in a small frying pan over low heat. Add the black beans and cook, stirring regularly until the oil turns red and the beans become aromatic. Add the ginger, garlic and capsicum and cook until the capsicum is tender. Add the vinegar and soy sauce and bring to the boil. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust with sugar as necessary. Remove from the heat, then stir in the spring onion and the remaining olive oil. Allow to cool before using. This quantity will make more than you need for this recipe, but it will keep well refrigerated for at least 1 week.
   
   
2. To serve, cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds. Cut each half in half again and arrange on a platter. Spoon the cooled vinaigrette into the cavity of each avocado quarter until full, then garnish with the spring onion and coriander. Scatter with the sesame seeds and serve. Eat by holding an avocado quarter in the palm of your hand and scooping out the flesh and vinaigrette with a spoon. Messy, but worth it.

 

Photography by Danielle Abou Karam.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.