A bright and flavorful mango salad tossed with a savory and citrusy dressing. This fresh salad can be enjoyed on its own or as a side dish for all your summer dishes!

I’m not a huge fan of salads, but this bright and fresh mango salad really has changed the game for me. This one is packed with flavor and filled with a variety of colors and textures that will become your ultimate summer favorite.

The salad is delicious on its own, but can also be eaten as a snack or as a light meal.

I usually pair this mango salad with grilled or fried foods because the brightness of the mangoes and the acidity of the dressing really help to balance out those rich/smoky flavors from the main dish!

Looking for more easy MANGO recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

Mango Float (Filipino icebox cake)
Mango Sago

A South-East Asian twist

You may have already tried mango salad, but what makes this one distinctly Filipino is through our use of two key ingredients: shrimp paste (aka. bagoong) and calamansi.

Shrimp paste is a distinct Philippine condiment, made up of fermented shrimp or krill. Think of it as a stronger and saltier version of fish sauce, but with a more pronounced shrimp flavor. This is what’s going to give our salad those distinct savory and umami notes.

Similarly, calamansi is also another classic Filipino ingredient. This is the sour component of our dressing. The taste is somewhat of a cross between limes, lemons, and tangerines.

What can I pair this mango salad with?

Since this salad is extremely fresh, I love pairing it with other savory dishes to balance out its bright flavors:

Ingredients

1 ripe mango, peeled and julienned
1/4 red onion, julienned
~10 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped (optional, but highly recommended)

Dressing

1 tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp shrimp paste (can substitute with fish sauce)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp calamansi juice (can substitute with lime juice)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions for mango salad

Start by prepping your vegetables:

Peel and julienne your ripe mangoes.

You can cut them as thick or as thin as you wish (really just depending on how you want the final texture of your salad to be)

Quarter your tomatoes by cutting them in half, then cutting both pieces in half again.

Julienne the red onion into thin strips.

Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients together and mixing thoroughly until well combined.

Place the mangoes, tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro in a bowl. Pour the prepared dressing all over the veggies and toss gently to combine.

*Careful not to toss the veggies too vigorously in this step since the mangoes and tomatoes can be somewhat fragile (and therefore can become mushy when handled roughly)!

Serve immediately on its own or as a pairing for other main dishes!

Other variations/add-ins

This mango ensalada is extremely versatile in the way it can be prepared! Here are a couple of my favorite add-ins to create different variations of this Filipino salad:

Vegetables: bell peppers, bean sprouts, cucumbers, green onions
Herbs: basil, mint, parsley
Nuts: peanuts, sesame seeds, cashews, walnuts