Overstocked on papayas

[Dina]

Hi guys!
Our papaya tree has at least 40 papayas on it. They're not ripe enough to cut yet but I'd like some ideas on what to do with so many of them. I'm going to need recipes and preservation suggestions, please. Thanks so much.

[buckytom]

dina, if you don't want to wait, unripened papayas are good to eat.

you can skin them, then julienne the flesh. mix with julienned unripened mango, thinly sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, a minced hot pepper, rice vinegar, and a splash of thai fish sauce. let marinate in the fridge so all of the flavors meld, then use this as a topping for a crispy panko fried fish like snapper or tilapia. it's one of dw's all time favourite meals.

or you can slice the upper third of an unripened papaya (laid on it side) so that you just cut into the seed cavity. clean out seeds, fill cavity with browned ground meat or chunky seafood (crab, shrimp, etc) mixed with sweated diced veggies (onions, celery, peppers, fennel, carrots, zucchini, eggplant, etc.) and some herbs. place the top back on to the papaya, secure if necessary, then bake at 350 until the papaya is soft through.

hth.

[Dina]

Wow BT! Those are mouthwatering recipes. I will try it today as I'm making some tilapia for dinner and have some thawed out ground meat in the fridge. Great timing for your suggestions. Thank you.

[Dina]

No Kades. I don't own a dehydrator. Boohoo! That's the first thing that came to mind. I guess I'll check into buying one soon. Thanks.

[*amy*]

You could make a mango, papaya, red onion & avocado salsa, & serve with crab cakes, salmon, fish or chicken:

Mango Papaya Salsa

Fruit tart - mango, papaya, strawberries, kiwis.

Add them to a salad w mango, avocado, mushroom, mandarin oranges or star fruit & coconut w lime juice.

Fruit salad with coconut, macadamia nuts, star fruit, etc.

Smoothies

Shred the papaya & serve over (shrimp/seafood) salad or scallops.

How about Papaya Pancakes with Pineapple syrup or ginger butter as a side for grilled fish:

http://www.chowfoods.com/recipes/index.aspx?recipeid=38

[miniman]

When they are ripe, half a papaya (we used to call them pawpaw) with the seeds removed and then lemon or lime squeezed over, makes a great breakfast.

Cube them and add to other fruit for a fantastic fruit salad.

[Dina]

Thanks for all the suggestions you all. Please keep them coming. Does papaya jam or preserves taste good? Has anyone every made it before?

[attie]

Originally Posted by miniman

(we used to call them pawpaw)

We still do, however, we tend to refer to the red flesh variety as Papayas. They won't all ripen at once, naturally, so I guess you will be able to enjoy them for an extended period. I have tried Pawpaw chutney and enjoyed it but I don't have the recipe I'm afraid.

[texasgirl]

Well, you could always send some up north a little way, lol

[Yakuta]

You are so lucky Dina to have papaya trees :-). In India where papayas were abundant here are two popular things we made with it.

Papaya Cream:

You need ripe papaya for this. Put papaya chunks into a blender and puree it. If it's not extremely sweet you can add sugar to help make it sweeter.

Store in the refrigerator until it's super chilled.

Take 5-6 salted crackers (any kind you like) and 5-6 honey maid crackers and then grind them into powder.

Take two cups of cream, put some vanilla and a tiny bit of sugar and beat it with a balloon whisk until it's slightly firm.

Pour some papaya mixture in a serving bowl, glass of your choice, sprinkle a tbsp of cracker mixture on it, spread the whipped cream and serve. It's really good.


We also make a raw papaya salad that is delicious. To make it you need to shredd the green papaya and mix it with lime juice, cilantro, some freshly ground cumin powder, salt, sugar and red chili powder. Stir it and cover and let it sit for an hour in the refrigerator prior to serving. It goes well as a side with fish or chicken breast.