Here’s a Salad That Will Spark Up Any Meal!
When fruits are at their peak, I don’t think you need to do a lot in order to enjoy them at their best. I love to serve them as salads and when I do, I keep everything else very simple. A grilled piece of meat or chicken and some crusty bread are all that is needed because the salad will be the star of the show.
Many times I’ve written about how this kind of salad makes for an exciting meal and I stand by that premise. The fruit itself is spectacular, but there’s no reason you can’t play to the strength of those flavors with a great dressing.
All I did was combine fresh lime juice, sugar, a sliced Serrano chili, gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) *, and a pinch of salt. I gently heated it up only until the sugar had melted and then put it to the side to cool while I prepped my fruit. Right before I spooned it over the fruit, I removed the chili slices. As they had steeped in the dressing, I’d gotten what I wanted from them and didn’t think the slices would add anything particularly pleasant to the salad.
Slicing the strawberries and plums couldn’t be simpler. While I rarely endorse or recommend a single purpose gadget, I make an exception for a cherry pitter, although I also use it for pitting olives. This simple tool is one of those things I wouldn’t be without. In this case, I only used a couple cups of cherries, but if you’ve ever pitted a large amount for a cherry pie, you’ll know what I mean when I say that is one tedious job. Not so with a cherry pitter. Click here for the one I own *. Ever since I got it I don’t hesitate to use pitted cherries in a salad or any other type of recipe. I’ve had mine for about 7 or 8 years and it’s still like new. Which ever one you get, make sure it pits multiple cherries at the same time. The ones that only pit a single cherry at a time are hardly worth having.
After arranging the fruit on a platter, I spooned on the dressing, sprinkled on the grated zest from 2 limes and some nigella seeds *. I loved the crunch and flavor that the nigella seeds gave to the salad. Some fresh mint finished it off and I was good to go.
This is a quick summer salad that delivers hugely on flavor and eye appeal. It really does showcase the beautiful fruit and that’s the whole point. As I mentioned, you don’t need to do much to improve on the inherent glory of the beautiful fruit, but an interesting dressing really does add to the enjoyment.
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Red Fruit Salad with Lime and Chili Syrup
4-6
servingsSliced strawberries, cherries, and red plums are bathed in a dressing of lime juice, sugar, chili flakes (gochugaru), and slices of Serrano chili pepper. Fresh lime zest and nigella seeds are sprinkled on top, along with fresh mint leaves. It's as delicious as it is beautiful!
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Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Serrano chili, sliced into rounds
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) * or other red chili flakes
Pinch salt
1 pound carton of strawberries, capped and sliced
2 cups sweet cherries, pitted and cut in half
2 red plums, sliced into wedges
2 teaspoons nigella seeds *
Finely grated zest from 2 limes
Handful fresh mint leaves
Directions
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the lime juice, granulated sugar, sliced chili, gochugaru and a pinch of salt. Cook only until the sugar has melted and remove from the heat. Let sit until it is completely cooled. Remove the slices of chilies.
- Arrange the strawberries, cherries, and plums on a platter. Spoon on the lime and chili syrup, sprinkle with the nigella seeds and lime zest. Scatter on the mint leaves, serve, and Enjoy!