Fruit Salad
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Fruit salad is chopped fruit served in its own juices, sometimes with a light syrup or dressing, and it is about as universal as food gets. The one technique worth knowing is that it improves with time. Fruit cut and left to sit releases juice, and that juice becomes the dressing, which is why a fruit salad made an hour ahead is noticeably better than one assembled at the last minute. The source makes exactly this point: it is tastier the longer it soaks. The other thing worth knowing is which fruits misbehave. Apples, pears and bananas brown quickly once cut; a squeeze of citrus slows it considerably. Melon releases a lot of water and dilutes everything else, so it is better added late. Berries collapse if stirred much. A dressing is optional. Honey with lime, orange juice, or a light sugar syrup are all common, and any of them draws out more juice from the fruit itself. **Filed as Worldwide.** Fruit salad has no particular national claim, and the page is kept and reclassified rather than removed.
AFN Heritage Note
Cut fruit releases juice over time, which forms the dressing, the reason fruit salad is generally better made in advance than assembled immediately before serving.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Bring orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange zest, and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
- 2Layer the fruit in a large, clear glass bowl in this order
pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, grapes, and blueberries. Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving.
Africook’s Notes
- Make it at least an hour ahead. The fruit needs time to release its juices, which become the dressing.
- Squeeze citrus over apple, pear and banana as you cut them to slow browning.
- Add melon late. It releases a lot of water and thins everything else out.
- Fold berries in at the end rather than stirring them through, or they break up.
Questions cooks ask
How far ahead can I make it?
An hour or two ahead is ideal, long enough for the juices to draw out, not so long that the fruit softens. Made the day before, most fruit salads go limp and watery, particularly if they contain melon or banana. Firmer fruit like pineapple, grape and citrus holds up better overnight.
How do I stop the fruit browning?
Citrus. Lemon, lime or orange juice squeezed over apple, pear and banana as they are cut slows oxidation considerably. It also adds to the dressing, so it is not a compromise. Cutting those fruits last, and stirring them in at the end, helps too.
Does it need a dressing?
No, the fruit's own juice is usually enough, especially if it has been left to sit. A light dressing of honey and lime, orange juice or sugar syrup draws out more juice and ties it together, but it is an addition rather than a requirement.
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