Berry Fruit Salad

Dragonfruit Salad with the dragonfruit cut onto stars.

Berry Fruit Salad with a honey, lime and mint dressing is a beautiful and tasty addittion to summer parties or as a healthy summer dessert. Also, leftovers are wonderful blended and made into popsicles.

Course Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Berry Fruit Salad, Broccoli Cacon Cranberry Salad, Dragon Fruit Salad, Fruit Salad Dressing

Prep Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 119kcal

Author Heather

Ingredients

2 pounds cut watermelon *about 3-4 cups cubed, see Note #1 below
2 large dragon fruits *peeled and cut, see Note #2 below
1 pound strawberries *hulled and cut into slices, see Note #3 below
6 ounces blueberries
6 ounces raspberries
6 ounces blackberries
1/2 cup finely chopped mint *about 1 small bunch
1/2 tablespoon lime zest *from about 2 large limes
1/4 cup lime juice *from about 2 large limes
2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

Cutting the Watermelon

Rinse watermelon, pat dry and place on a large cutting board. See note #4 below.
Using a sharp chefs knife carefully cut off both ends of the watermelon.
Turn the watermelon onto one of the ends. Carefully cut the rind off in large strips starting at the top of the melon and working down towards the cutting board.
Once the rind is off, cut the watermelon into approximately 1 inch thick steaks.
Working on one watermelon steak at a time, lay the steak flat on the cutting board and cut it into 1 inch strips.
Turn the cutting board and cut the watermelon in the opposite direction creating approximately 1 inch cubes.
Transfer the cut pieces to a large mixing bowl. See note #5 below.

Cutting the Dragon Fruit

Rinse the dragon fruit and place it on its side on the cutting board.
Using a chefs knife carefully cut off both ends. The end that had the stem may need a second this slice removed from that end. See video for more details.
Cut the dragon fruit lengthwise.
Using your fingers peel the skin from the fruit and lay each half flat side down on the cutting board.
Using the chefs knife carefully trim any excess pink and discard.
Cut the halved dragon fruit in half again. Lay the 2 halves flat on the cutting board. Using the cookie cutter make shapes in the dragon fruit. See note #6 below.
Set the stars aside on a plate. Add the stars to the salad after dressing and just before serving.
Cut the scraps of dragon fruit into small pieces and transfer to the watermelon bowl.

Assembly of Salad

Wash, core and cut strawberries. Add to watermelon bowl.
Rinse remaining berries and add to the watermelon bowl along with mint and lime zest.
In a separate bowl whisk together lime juice and honey. Pour over berries and gently mix. Top with dragon fruit stars. See note #7 below.

Notes

Recipe Notes

Note #1- The key things to look for when buying a ripe watermelon are:

Stripes that are further apart from one another.
One side of the melon that has a yellow creamy color.
A deep hollow sound when patted.
Moderate amount of webbing. The webbing is connected to bees and pollination. A moderate amount indicates a sweet watermelon. Too much webbing can indicate a watermelon that is over ripe.

Note #2- A ripe dragon fruit will have the following characteristics:

Bright pink with possibly some yellow.
Will have a little give when squeezed gently.
The wings (leafy parts that extend off of the fruit) will dry out and turn brown.

Note #3- A pairing knife, zester and citrus juicer are tools that will help to make this salad with ease. Additionally, a chefs knife is needed for cutting the watermelon and a star cookie cutter for making shaped dragon fruit as seen in the photos and video.

Note #4- Have a second cutting board near the first one to transfer the uncut portion of watermelon while cutting the smaller pieces. This will make cutting a large watermelon much easier.

Note #5- A bench scraper will make for easy transferring of the watermelon and dragon fruit pieces.

Note #6- Each dragon fruit will yield approximately 8 stars.

Note #7- Wait to dress the salad until just before serving to prevent the fruit from becoming too soft. Once dressed, add the dragon fruit stars to the top of the salad.

Nutrition