Fruitful Salads
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking about opening cans. It always amazed me how making a salad could involve opening so very many jars and cans: pineapple, pears, peaches, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries. Tie it together with Cool Whip, sour cream, Jello, mayonnaise, vanilla pudding, or some combination thereof.
But we’re not talking about your Grandma’s potluck fruit salad. We’re talking about the strategic use of fruit in salad.
Building a mouthwatering salad is about balancing flavors, layering textures, and adding punch. With its sweetness and acidity, fruit creates contrast. Fruit stands up to fatty, umami-rich cheeses and nuts, as well as briny pickles and dressings, in ways that raw vegetables can’t.
A shaved apple and fennel salad harmonizes beautifully with grilled pork. Heirloom tomato and stone fruit with a creamy, salty cheese is a summertime favorite. Here are some other protein and vegetables salad pairings for our favorite fruits:
Melon with prosciutto
Citrus with fennel
Cherries or plums with roasted duck
Dates with snap peas, kohlrabi, or frisée
Pomegranate with mint, radicchio, or carrot
Pineapple with cilantro, cucumber, or jalapeño
Sometimes the sweetness of fruit can be, well, overly sweet. Vinegar, sliced chilis, or fresh herbs mitigate any such saccharine effect. Never skip the fresh herbs when making a salad. As I’ve said before, think of them as one more mixed green.
Fruit also creates a nice contrast with charred vegetables. When building a salad, consider mixing roasted vegetables with the raw base. What about a salad of frisée, fresh parsley, charred broccolini, kalamata olives, chopped dates, and hazelnuts?
We’re glad you’re cooking with us.
Cheers,
Sten and Mac
Chef Snacks
Cooking Tip
Toast your nuts. They’re just so much better. Toasting both releases aromatic oils and creates new flavor compounds, adding complexity, intensity, and nuance of flavor. Plus, it makes them extra crispy and crunchy.
I usually toast nuts on a sheet tray in the oven at 350℉. Duration depends on size and density, from pine nuts at around 5 minutes to hazelnuts at almost 20. Stir every 5 minutes so they toast evenly. Use your nose. They’re done when you smell them.
