Papaya Recipes

F&W Best New Chef 2017 Val M. Cantu, of San Francisco’s Californios, combines papaya, pineapple and citrus in this insanely refreshing and tangy agua fresca. His special addition is a spicy serrano chile, which adds a small but mighty kick at the end.

Chef Lee Anne Wong loves the crunch of green papayas, an ingredient that's abundant in Hawaii. She spikes her healthy salad with green beans, grape tomatoes and plenty of herbs.

This refreshing and complex salad–made with jicama, watermelon, papaya and a bold tequila-based vinaigrette–usually includes little pieces of deep-fried tortilla rounds.

"Brazilians eat rich and heavy," Eric Ripert says. "I wanted something light and healthy." His idea was to poach a local fish and top it with a tropical version of what he calls sauce vierge, replacing the pickles, capers and tomatoes he would typically use with papaya, mango and ginger.

For this Thai classic, Andy Ricker uses a mortar and pestle to pound crunchy raw green beans with a piquant mix of chiles, garlic, fish sauce and lime juice. He then tosses in crisp strips of unripened papaya.

David Myers pairs simple poached halibut with contrasting textures: crunchy green papaya, which is rich in vitamins A and C; and creamy avocado, which contains vitamin E and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

The classic northern Thai salad called som tam is often eaten with sticky rice and such ingredients as very small Thai eggplants, little tomatoes, crushed peanuts, dried shrimp, long beans, crispy pork and even salted crabs. This is a minimalist version, and it's simply stunning.

Douglas Keane says that these summer rolls, filled with tangy marinated daikon, cucumber and papaya, are the perfect way to jolt the palate before a rich meal that will likely include truffles and foie gras.

We could consume this colorful dish every day of the week.

Joyce Goldstein loves the surprise of sweet and hot flavors–chilled papaya with unexpected heat from a ginger and crushed red pepper dressing. Note that she cooks the chicken for this salad on the bone; it' more flavorful that way. Marinating the chicken overnight in the refrigerator makes it even tastier.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten was inspired to create this dish, now at Spice Market in Manhattan, after a nine-city tour through Asia. The papaya, cashews and dressing of julienned ginger and chiles are pure Thai. Tossing them with French frisee is pure Vongerichten.

This sweet, spicy salad is loaded with papaya, a rich source of vitamins A and C. When shopping for papayas, look for yellowish ones that give slightly to pressure.

"Gewurztraminer is so in concert with this dish, it's almost orchestral," restaurateur Peter Kasperski notes. He loves how the wine's sweet spiciness enhances the fish sauce, curry and cilantro in the salad.