An easy salad to make with a bag of salad greens, pineapple, bacon bits, nuts and toasted coconut. Use fresh pineapple, if you can, and substitute toasted almonds for the macadamia nuts, if desired.
I loved this recipe (with some additions from the comments) - I reduced the oil, increased the juice, used rice wine vinegar, added the garlic and ginger and some sugar for the dressing - ABSOLUTELY necessary additions or else you're basically just pouring juice on your salad. - I also included red peppers in the salad and it was a HUGE hit.
Read MoreI loved this recipe (with some additions from the comments) - I reduced the oil, increased the juice, used rice wine vinegar, added the garlic and ginger and some sugar for the dressing - ABSOLUTELY necessary additions or else you're basically just pouring juice on your salad. - I also included red peppers in the salad and it was a HUGE hit.
I just served this to a party of 100 for a Hawaiian Luau. Lots of people asked for the recipe and said this was delicious. I made some changes to the vinaigrette. I used Rice Wine Vinegar instead of Red Wine Vinegar and added fresh ginger and garlic to the dressing to add depth to the taste. Also added a little sugar to balance the flavors.
I made this recipe for my gourmet group in which I was doing a Luau theme. Everyone loved it. I made several changes, though. I increased the pineapple juice to 1/2 cup and used extra (fresh only!!!) cutup pineapple on each individual plate. For presentation, I also used some star fruit on each plate (looks pretty and adds more color). Also, I decreased the onion to 2, and upped the coconut to 1/2 cup. I really wanted to bring out the tropical flavors of this recipe. I would definitely make this recipe again!
Great salad! Such a delicious combination. I used ready-made real bacon bits and they worked fine. Upped the amount of pineapple juice because I wanted more of that flavor. Also used canned pineapple tidbits. By using the canned pineapple and precooked bacon, I saved a ton of time. Also, used macadamia nuts (they were salted so I rinsed them off because toasting. My daughter liked it as well even though she doesn't like coconut. I have made tons of salads using various fruits but never have dabbled with pineapple in this kind of combination. This is my new favorite and I am going to say the best salad I have ever had in my life.
What a great salad! We loved it, even kids, and will make again. I omitted the bacon (didn't have any), increased the pineapple juice to 1/2 cup as suggested, and had to use the sugar-coated almonds rather than the macadamias. The toasted coconut is so good on this salad! Thanks, Marianne! Delicious!
LOVED this salad! All the flavors came together and made for a very elegant, yet tropical salad. Once the dressing goes on, you have to eat it - the leftovers became soggy overnight. Eat what you make!
At first I wasn't sure if anyone would like this different salad. However, it was a hit at a luau I attended. It's even better the next day!
This was a really tastey, light, and easy salad to make. I'm always looking for more salad recipes that encorporate fruit and greens. Everyone liked it. I had some butter lettuce, and baby spinach on hand, so I mixed that in with the romaine lettuce, and it made for a nice salad mix. Makes a bit too much dressing for the size of the salad, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with the taste! It will be something I make again.
This is a great salad.I did'nt change a thing. Even my 3 year old nephew ate 3 servings of this.
Once again my hubby is not one for fruit in his greens but he had to admit that this salad is superior. A perfect combination of flavors with salad ingredients and dressing.
Very tasty! I made this for a tropical-themed dinner party for my fiance and future in-laws. Enjoyed by all - but I do wish the flavors were more pronounced. I think next time I'll add some more tropical fruit on top...
This salad was even better than I expected from the rave reviews! It's a great combination of flavors and not too sweet. I used baby spinach + romaine, almonds + macadamias, decreased the pineapple juice, added a few shots of jalapeno sauce to the dressing, and upped the coconut. Delish.
I was completely shocked by this salad! I had a group of friends over and everyone loved it...even my husband who hates sweet foods. I was kind of wary about making it and even a friend of mine who cooks well was hesitant as I was making the vinaigrette...but it rocked! Toasting chopped macadamia nuts was very quick on the stove, and the coconut took like a minute to toast in the microwave...I forgot all about the green onions and it was fine. I was craving it so badly the next day that I made it again, only without nuts, and with canadian bacon and I used the green onions...and it was amazing again. Also, I used bagged salad, Spring Mix. And I put the bacon on a cookie sheet and baked it in the oven...crispy and less time consuming. Thanks for an awesome salad!
A wonderful salad! Interesting combination of flavors. I rarely use a recipe without changing it, but I did not adjust this one, and it was great just as it was. Thanks!
I made this for our Rally day at church. Everyone loved it. I doubled the recipe, toasted whole almonds that I chopped up, used canned in its own juice pineapple, fried up real bacon and added 2 teaspoons of sugar to the vinegette as I had used the juice from the canned pineapple. Great recipe.
Great salad. I served it at a 'Tropical' BBQ and the guests ate it until it was all gone.
I made this for my husbands Hawaiian lunch at work. It was a great hit!! Passed out recipes to everyone.
This is such a great salad. I brought it to my sisters Luau and it is now a staple for the yearly event. The pineapple, greens, veggies and nuts compliment eachother so well. The dressing is nice and light and very refreshing. Thanks for sharing!!!
Very different and a good base recipe. However, I mixed up the dressing as written and it tasted very bland without much pineapple flavor at all. I added a few extra ingredients to knock it up a notch - pureed pineapple, Dijon mustard, garlic, fresh ginger and sugar. Also cut EVOO to 1/2 the amount. I made the dressing a day in advance so the flavors could develop. I know the salad ingredients would be fabulous as is and did use all ingredients listed, but I did add a few extras because I felt they would compliment the salad very well - fresh sliced strawberries, sugar glazed pecans, and crumbled feta. Instead of tossing all together I layered everything and sprinkled toasted coconut on last. I did not add dressing until just before serving, then just drizzled over it all. Excellent refreshing salad. Makes you feel like you are sitting in the tropics!
Absolutely delicious and didn't change one single thing. This is such a refreshing salad for summer and goes well with good bbq. I liked it so much i emailed it to all my friends. A definate keeper.
I had a lot of fun making this and my girlfriends really enjoyed the tropical taste! A bit time consuming to make, but worth it in the end. Definitely a great alternative salad for the summer. Especially good with fresh pineapple--I added extra coconut to really bring out the tropical flavors. Woudl most definitely make again.
We absolutely loved this salad. The flavors were spot on, even though at first it seemed like they wouldn't work. The only thing I did was sub cashews for macademia nuts, because I didn't have any. The toasted coconut was awesome, and I'm not even a fan of coconut. I will definitely be making this quite often this summer. Thanks for the delicious salad recipe!
Oh wow. We've never really been a salad family. A salad to me is a bag of prechopped salad topped with store-bought Italian dressing. This was amazing, and both of my parents especially liked it. Fresh pineapple is a must, and I subbed toasted almonds, which I toasted a bit first, then added the coconut and finished toasting, and then threw it in the mix. Light and tasty, but surprisingly filling.
This is one of the *best* salads I have ever had! The only downfall is there is a lot of prep work in toasting the coconut and macadamia nuts, etc. But it is well worth it!
I made this recipe (tripled) for a luau party. Boy, was it a hit!! I got so many compliments on it. I'm making again tonight for my parents.
Very good salad (4 stars) except for the dressing, which was far too oily with virtually no other flavor (0 stars). So to it I added 2 Tblsp more pineapple juice, 1 Tblsp pineapple juice concentrate, 1 Tblsp more cider vinegar (ran out of red wine vinegar), & a total of 1 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp black pepper. Better!
This was an awesome salad! It's so light and fresh tasting...it will be one of our frequent summer salads for sure. My husband and very picky daughter loved it! I followed the recipe exactly except I used a 1/2 cup pineapple juice for the vinaigrette and added 2 cut up tomatoes and extra toasted coconut. Taking it to work Monday for Nurses Week. Thanks for the great salad recipe!
yum! lots of different flavors and textures! This was a big hit!
This salad is such a wonderful medley of flavors. A really great summer salad! Will be making regularly.
this was a refreshing change to salad. I did what was suggested and put garlic and ginger and sugar in the dressing. Letting the dressing sit with the spices in it for a couple hours is a MUST! Paired it with white rice/sauted veggies with left over dressing!) and a bag of maui style rib meat from Trader Joes! Quick and lovely. thank you thank you!
This is always a crowd pleaser. I take this to many get togethers and everyone loves it. It is so easy to make.
I had a vegetarian and three carnivores for dinner last night. Made this salad, ommitting the bacon and substituting slices of chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice and garlic. I left the onions on the side, but put everything else on. I also added some of the unused marinade to the red wine vinegar mix, and the result was incredible. The coconut was the BEST idea!
Served this salad, with tiny sweetbread sandwiches,to 25 women and every plate came back empty!! I used shortcuts---canned pineapple tidbits, Hormel's real bacon chunks, untoasted coconut---but heads of fresh romaine. It is a fabulous keeper!
Loved this! We had a Culture Fest committee meeting and I brought this to represent Hawaii and it was a big hit! Super Easy, kind of pricey but worth it! Wouldn't change a thing.
Because we had a vegan guest, I left out the bacon and forgot the onions, but was still told it was the best dish I made all night. Also, I used spinach in place of romaine because I always prefer to use spinach when I can. Fantastic.
This salad was wonderful. My guests who normally skip salads, ate so much that I was only left with scraps. Next time I know to make much more, because they wanted to take some home.
This salad is excellent. I made it with toasted almonds instead of macadamia and it was so yummy. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a light, refreshing salad!! Thanks Marianne!!!
I love salads, and this was easy and so delicious! I used pre-cooked real bacon bits, canned pineapple chunks, and regular (not toasted) sweetened coconut - to cut down on prep time. Took me 5 minutes tops. I had seconds! Can't wait to make this for company!
Excellent combination of flavors! Even those who don't eat salads will love this one! No time to cook the bacon: use pre-cooked, diced pepperoni (found with the lunch meats) as a just-as-tasty alternative.
This salad is amazingly tasty. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors. If you enjoy sweet, savory, and crunchy with a variety of textures in your salad, definitely give this a try. Yum!
Fantastic! Like other reviews, I added a minced clove of garlic, about 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes. I didn't have quite enough pineapple juice, so I added orange juice to make up for what I was lacking. It was perfect. We had it with Jerk pork chops and coconut rice. Mmmmm.
Two of us showed up at the Hawaiian party with the same salad. Both of us ran into ingredient 'glitches' so mine had cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, hers had slivered almonds instead of macadamia nuts. You could barely tell the difference. Right Linda?
I made this salad for the fussiest group and they went crazy! And they don't eat anything! It is a winner.
I thought this was pretty ok, but not spectacular. I sure got compliments on it from others, though.
I will put in 5 stars because I changed the recipe and it wasn't perfect - I found the dressing bitter. However, I used orange juice instead of pineapple juice so that was probably it. Here are my changes (used recipe as starting point): No bacon; used a small handful of ham for each bowl instead, idea from Ham and Pineapple Ranch Salad on this website; OJ instead of pineapple as mentioned; tore my own romaine...save money; sliced almonds instead of macadamia (based on what I had on hand); and no coconut, which would also have made it taste less bitter. So, what I did I would give 4 stars...great idea to have pineapple and nuts in a salad, anyhow.
This was pretty good. Our biggest problem was keeping everything cool since it was SO hot the day we made it. I used turkey bacon, but next time I'll use bacon bits instead of cooking bacon. We also used fresh pineapple, added a bit more juice to the dressing and used candied almond slices.
I was nervous about how people would feel about this salad, but I made it anyway I needed a tropical salad for my themed dinner party. This salad was a hit! It's probably my new personal favorite and will become a regular lunch for me! Yum! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Wonderful! I used raspberry wine vinegar (didn't have any red wine vinegar, but the raspberry gave it an extra fruity taste!), and I also added chopped, cooked chicken to turn it into a main dish salad. The toasted coconut gave it a great flavor!
Very good, but I did change the recipe quite a bit. I reduced the oil to 2 teaspoons, and the vinegar to 2 tablespoons, and added 2 tablespoons of coconut milk, and increased the pineapple juice to 1/2 cup. It was less tangy, and more creamy
I have to admit that I didn't actually make the salad, but I mixed up just the juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and pepper. I served it over romaine along with some dried cranberries and sugared walnuts--it was delicious! It's a great vinaigrette that's light and not too tart on the tongue.
Loved this recipe! I only found sweetened shredded coconut in the baking aisle so I purchased a fresh coconut and grated it. Made a great difference! I will certainly make this again. Great texture and balance.
not one for strange salads but this was awesome...gobbled up by my guests
Really unique and relatively easy recipe HOWEVER I agree fully with all the reviewers that the dressing is "too much" to put on the salad - way too runny and I wish I'd known this before as it sort of ruined the overall appeal of the salad as people served it and saw how much dressing was left on the bottom. So I'd recommend either making half as much dressing or serving it on the side. Otherwise, wonderful and goes with so many different cuisines.
I also added avocado. Nice alternative salad.
Very good! I omitted the bacon and used a can of apricots instead. It worked out great! Thanks Marianne!
I like pineapple, and I had high hopes for this salad. The thing that I think was the weak link was the dressing. It had very little flavor, I had to try and kick up the flavor without any luck, the foundation of the dressing wasn't great. It was to oily, and the pineapple juice really wasn't the best option for flavoring a dressing. I think I would do a sweet poppyseed dressing, and use all the other additions if I did this again.
I tried this recipe for my supper club. Everyone enjoyed it. I found it fairly simple to make. It does take a little time to toast the nuts and coconut. I also used canned pineapple. I would make it again, however I would decrease the amount of juice in the recipe. C. Williams
I made this salad for a luau and loved it. Would highly recommend. I will be adding this to my favorites and look forward to sharing. Thanks for the great recipe
I thought this salad was so easy and delicious. It's almost a dessert it's so sweet, but really wonderful. I'll definately keep the recipe and make it again.
This was very tastey!I made it without the coconut flakes and the pineapple chunks.I think next time I will make it just as written.I thought it would make it too sweet but now I know it would of been better.I would also double the dressing if you like alot of dressing.I will surely make this again.It has a unique taste...Great when you want to impress your guests!!!
What a great salad! I made this just as it was written and tasted the dressing beforehand. It did seem like it was lacking something, so I added 1 tbsp. splenda for some sweetness and 1 tbsp. dijon mustard, as suggested by another reviewer - and it turned out perfect! A wonderful mix of flavors - I'd give it 4 stars as written, 5 stars with my additions. I bet it would be even better with some sliced grilled chicken breast or grilled shrimp on top - I will definitely be trying that!
Missing something in the dressing. The salad is very bland for us.
I served this for my family on my birthday, rather than doing some boring old salad again. This tropical twist was a total hit! I toasted my coconut and almonds with brown sugar, and incorperated all of the coconut, rather than just some. It was fabulous! Thank you!
I was a little bit skeptical at first, but the flavors blend beautifully. What a way to complement my fresh, farm-bought greens! The bacon is essential, but vegetarians don't have to lose out: meat-free bacon "substitutes" add similar depth to the taste.
Surprisingly, this is extremely delicious! I make it for potlucks all the time and everyone is always surprised at how incredibly yummy it is, since it seems like an odd combination and a little weird as a salad! It's a little harder to make than a garden salad but WELL worth the time!! Thanks! This is going in my permanent recipe box!
Just ok...probably not make again...also tried to modify dressing and still not care for it.
I didn't have any romaine lettuce and had to use a mix of dandelion greens and arugula from a tiny local store! I also fried torn-up pieces of ham sandwich meat since I didn't have bacon. While I'm sure the original ingredients would be a better compliment to the vinaigrette, it is such a good salad that even mine was still delicious!
I'm thinking with some cooked chicken this a meal, a fantastic meal. Went great with the macadamia nut mahi mahi!
This was soooooo good! I always improvise on this salad, adding whatever veggies I have on hand (i.e. carrots, tomatoes, green pepper, broccoli, etc.), and I don't usually use bacon bits. I love it!
Good salad! I used almonds instead of mac nuts, and to make it easier I just used real bacon bits instead of frying up bacon. I used fresh pineapple and I love the pineapple juice in the vinaigrette. I did think it was missing a little something though. Maybe some finely chopped garlic or onion in the dressing? Or dijon mustard? Just some ideas to try....
Excellent! I did adjust the dressing. I added chopped garlic, soy sauce and ground ginger. I also felt it was too tart and added a couple of tbls of sugar and just a touch more pineapple juice. Additionally I grilled the pineapple and added grilled chicken that had been marinated in a soy marinaded. Was a huge hit and would be a great main dish salad. Especially in the summer.
Served this to my boss and his wife, both with very discriminating taste and they LOVED it. I did add the dijon mustard to the dressing. My hubbie, that is not a salad fan by any means, ask me to make it again the next night. It was a huge hit all around.
WOWSERS! So good! Made this salad for my BFF's luau themed bridal shower and it was a total hit. Will definitely make again! YUM YUM!
I made this for a luau party I had and it was great! I doubled the recipe, but I think you could double the salad ingredients and not the dressing and be just right!
Taste better than it looks. I wish the appearance was better. Even though I waited just before serving to toss dressing in, the salad still seemed soggy. Must be the pineapple. I drained it but you have to really have it dry. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. It went well with our Hawaiian style dinner.
FANTASTIC salad recipe. I made this to go with kalua pork. I was nervous thinking this recipe might be too sweet, but the bacon and the savory green onions offset it. I used less oil than it called for, and blended it in the blender to mix well and just moistened my salad with it so that meant there ended up being some left over (so I'd cut the dressing in half next time.) Also, I used real bacon bits and canned crushed pineapple to save time and it was still perfect. I'll make again!
This was an awesome recipe and very delish! I substituted out the nuts for almonds, took the coconut out and added crumbled turkey bacon. It was so yummy!
Honestly, I didn't expect much out of this recipe (I mean, it's just a salad, right?), but I was soooo wrong! This is great! I didn't have any macadamia nuts, so I just added all of the other things. Thanks for the great recipe!
What a wonderful salad! My family liked it so much they requested that I make it again this week! I made it to go with "Chicken and Pasta in a Mango Cream Sauce" (also on this site) to have a Caribbean themed night since we were all sick of winter. Therefore I deviated from the recipe a bit to use up extra ingredients I had lying around. I added cilantro to the salad, and I added juice from half a lime and some fresh grated ginger to the dressing. The dressing was divine! I almost didn't add the toasted coconut because I was a little skeptical. Don't leave it out. It pulls the flavors of the salad together.
This was fun and festive - I used it for a tropical based buffet for big luncheon. I like the ingredients in it, but there was something a little off with the dressing.
Yummy. I added about 3 Tbsp sugar and used apple cider vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar.
made this for a luau I hosted. it was a HUGE hit, I followed other reviews and altered the dressing using rice wine vinegar. I made the dressing the night before making less work for the day of the party. This recipe is highly recommended.
Fantastic! Made it for a baby shower and it was a huge hit. It was so easy to make and has the best tasting vinaigrette.
Love the salad :) i used apple cedar vinegar, cashew nuts as alternative. Reduced the oil. Didn't put coconut but still taste delicious :) we'll definitely remake this salad the soonest ??
Made with canned pineapple instead of fresh and used a red onion in place of the green onions to add a bit of color. Also added garlic and red pepper flakes to the dressing. This was so good I made the recipe amounts as written for 6 and 2 of us ate it all! Served with Ham and Pineapple sandwiches from this site. SO GOOD!
I loved the flavor of this salad. Sweet and savory! I grilled pineapple wedges a couple of days ago and was looking for a recipe to use the left overs. I didn't have any pineapple juice so I pureed a couple of grilled pineapple wedges and added it to the dressing. And the toasted coconut really added to the flavor. Will make this again!
Great salad. Easy to make and elegant with just enough sweet, tart, and salty. I used Canola oil in place of the olive oil (husband hates olive) and Yves veggie bacon in place of the meat. I used slightly less oil and more pineapple juice. I will make this again for sure.
Super yummy salad. I added the suggested garlic, sugar, and ginger to the dressing, but still used the red wine vinegar.
Absolutely yummy! I made this as the recipe stated, other than subbing red onions for green (because I didn't have any) and toasted pecans for the macadamia nuts. This was fantastic!! The dressing with all that flavors works well in my opinion. I will definitely be making this again! 5+ stars!
We loved this salad! After reading through the reviews, I opted to add a little something to the dressing. I added about a teaspoon or so of dijon mustard and that was perfect for us. I used sliced almonds only because macadamia nuts are way too expensive. I will definately be making this salad again, and again! Thanks for sharing. :)
dressing was fabulous. used orange juice and added ginger to it. also sliced almonds, not macadamia nuts. arranged on plates.
