Spinach Salad With Mushrooms and Hibiscus Flower Vinaigrette

Name: Spinach Salad With Mushrooms and Hibiscus Flower Vinaigrette
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 1 garlic clove; 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1/2 cup olive oil; 3/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers, also known as Jamaica flowers (see note); 18 to 20 ounces spinach leaves, rinsed, drained and thickly sliced; 1 pound white or brown button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced; 6 thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts only; 3/4 cup caramelized almonds (see recipe)

Recipe from Patricia Jinich

Adapted by Joan Nathan

Total Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 5(16)
Notes: Read community notes

Featured in: A Taste of Passover, With a Mexican Accent

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

For the Vinaigrette

2tablespoons red wine vinegar
2tablespoons fresh lime juice
1garlic clove
2teaspoons sugar, or to taste
1teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
½cup vegetable oil
½cup olive oil
¾cup dried hibiscus flowers, also known as Jamaica flowers (see note)

For the Salad

18 to 20ounces spinach leaves, rinsed, drained and thickly sliced
1pound white or brown button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
6thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts only
¾cup caramelized almonds (see recipe)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

For the Vinaigrette
1. Step 1
  For vinaigrette: Two days before serving, prepare vinaigrette. In a blender, combine vinegar, lime juice, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With motor at lowest possible speed, add vegetable oil and olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified, about 10 seconds.
2. Step 2
  Add hibiscus flowers and allow to soften in liquid for a couple of minutes, then process until roughly chopped. Pour into a container, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days to 1 week.
3. Step 3
  For salad: In a large salad bowl, combine spinach, mushrooms and scallions. Add vinaigrette to taste (all may not be needed), and toss gently. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

Tip

Dried hibiscus flowers are available from mexgrocer.com, (877) 463-9476; $3.95 plus shipping for 8 ounces.

Ratings

5 out of 5

16 user ratings

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Mic2 years ago

Five star delicious! I'm a stickler for trying each NYT recipe as written the first round. But occasionally I have to improvise. There are tons of hibiscus plants around my little Greek village, but March is way out of season. Also my wife loves spinach salads but is allergic to almonds. I was able to get a good approximation with a teaspoon of hibiscus agave syrup and candied walnuts. The almonds would have been more subtle, but the syrup seemed to work as expected to get a flowery taste.

christina4 years ago

It doesn’t sound like much when you read the recipe but this salad is delightfully satisfying. Plenty of flavors and textures, especially considering there are so few ingredients. Will definitely make again.

dina5 years ago

Instead of whole almonds I used sliced almonds and toasted them with a little sugar and olive oil in a pan on the stove.

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