With their tangy dressing and bright flavors, Asian-accented salads appeal when you want something light for dinner. Here, a sesame oil, ginger and fish sauce vinaigrette dresses a mix of chicken, mango and red pepper. Bring it all together with a worthy wine that picks up the notes of tart and sweet.
Make this: Tropical Chicken-Mango Salad
In a small bowl, whisk together 5 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon grated ginger and 1/4 teaspoon each crushed red pepper and minced garlic. Toss 8 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves with 1 cup chopped mint, basil or cilantro, or a combination. Top with 1 pound cooked chicken, chopped; 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 large mango, peeled, pitted, diced; and 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts. Toss with the dressing; serve with a lime wedge for squeezing. Makes: 4 servings
Recipe by Renee Enna
Drink this
Pairings by sommelier Aaron McManus of Oriole, as told to Michael Austin:
2012 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve, Alsace, France: This dry style of pinot gris shows flavors of apricots, sweet citrus, small white flowers, baked apple, almonds and honeysuckle. The fruit is a little dried and candied, so it will match nicely with the tropical notes in the dish, and the nutty qualities will match well with the roasted peanuts and the sesame oil. Also, the wine’s honeysuckle tones will complement the mild sweetness of the honey.
2014 Pierre Gaillard Les Gendrines Cotes du Rhone Blanc, Rhone Valley, France: This wine is 100 percent viognier and very aromatic, with tropical flavors of mango and passion fruit giving way to peach, orange blossom, baking spices and a rocky minerality. There is no sweetness on the palate, but the wine is fruit-forward. Its tropical flavors will complement the mango in the salad, and its tartness will match well with the rice vinegar and fish sauce.
2013 Shea Wine Cellars Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon: This wine smells of bright lemon zest, pears, green apples, melon, tangerine, slight vanilla, fresh sweet herbs, hazelnuts and spice. A bit of new oak aging gives it vanilla undertones that will complement the mango. The wine’s green quality will match nicely with the lettuce and cilantro, mint or basil in any combination you use. Also, the wine’s spice and hazelnut will complement the ginger and peanuts.
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