Photos by Erica Gamboa

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Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Mint & Poppyseed Dressing

A bounty of all your favorite sun-kissed summer fruits and berries, delicately tossed in a delicious sweet, tangy, and refreshing honey, mint, and poppyseed dressing. It’s bright and fresh, and it’s bursting with all the colors and flavors of the summer season.

Servings: 12
PREP TIME: 20 minutes + COOK TIME: 0 minutes = TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Here comes the sun! And with the warmer summer days right around the corner, the craving for light and refreshing foods that don’t weigh us down is at its peak. The summer days naturally give us the urge to make foods that are light and fresh but still satisfying and delicious. This summer fruit salad is not only delicious, but it’s also beautiful. It’s full of many vibrant colors and bright flavors made with fruits that are ripe and in season. It’s the perfect dessert to add to your table for your next summer BBQ, gathering, picnic, or just to have in your fridge to snack on throughout the week. It’s a great ending to your meal. With just a hint of tartness and sweetness, it’s the perfect light and refreshing dessert to end your meal.

Recommended fruits to use:

It has been my experience that firm fruits work best in any fruit salad. Fruits that are extra ripe and are on the softer side will get mashed up and lost in the salad. Fruits like mango and kiwi are delicious in this salad, but if you will be using them, make sure the other fruits have good firmness so that it is a good counterbalance in texture. I personally love bananas in everything, but I would steer away from using them here. Not only will they bruise, but they are very delicate in texture. Chances are they will become mushy and soggy, especially with the dressing; this time leave the bananas out.

Use any fruits you love and that are in season. I have heard people say to use fruits that go “good together.” In my opinion, all fruits go well together! Fruits and berries are a natural match made in heaven, and they play off each other so well in tartness and sweetness that there is no bad combination. I like to use fruits that are contrasted in textures as well; in any dish, it is important to keep that in mind. It makes the overall experience of eating the dish so enjoyable.

^{Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Mint & Poppyseed Dressing By Erica Gamboa}

Summer fruit salad with Honey Mint & Poppyseed Dressing is delicious and beautiful.

Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Mint & Poppyseed Dressing

BY ERICA GAMBOA

Summer-Fruit-Salad-Feature Photo — ^{Photo: Erica Gamboa}

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Servings: 12 | Difficulty: Easy

PREP TIME: 20 minutes + COOK TIME: N/A = TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Fruit: 2 cups each = 1 pint.

Strawberries, washed, tops removed, dried and cut into medium size pieces.
Blackberries, washed, dried and left whole.
Blueberries, washed, dried and left whole.
Pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into medium size chunks.
Green or Red Seedless Grapes, washed, dried and cut in half.
Mango, peeled, deseeded and cut into medium size pieces.
Mandarin Oranges, peeled, deseeded and segmented.
Cantaloupe or honey dew melon, peeled, deseeded and cut into medium pieces.

For the dressing:

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, washed, dried, chiffonade (thinly sliced)
2 tsp poppy seeds
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lime juiced and zested
1 tbsp orange, juice, and zested
A pinch of salt

SHOP RECIPE INGREDIENTS FOR HOME DELIVERY

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Directions:

Prepare the fruit, add them to a large mixing bowl, and set aside to make the dressing.
In a smaller mixing bowl, add the honey, lime, orange, and lime juices, plus the zest of both, mint, poppy seeds, and a pinch of salt.
Whisk everything together until the honey is well dissolved and the mint has muddled a bit to help release its essence and oils.
Right before serving, add the dressing to the fruit and delicately toss and combine until all of the fruit is coated in the dressing.
Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy immediately.

*If traveling with the salad, transfer the salad to a container with a tight lid and place in a cooler bag or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Notes & Suggestions:

Recipe Tips for Best Results

Selecting the right fruits: As I mentioned, there is only one fruit I would not recommend for this salad, and that is banana, for reasons already discussed. Other than that, I would use as many fruits and berries as you have available and are in season. Firmness is also a key to making sure the salad holds up well to the dressing. Choose fruits with texture for a good contrast in bite. This salad is beautiful and so enticing because of all the colors and textures, so feel free to make it as colorful and vibrant as possible for an absolute showstopper presentation.

Make-ahead tips: Here is one of the times that I do not recommend making this too far ahead of time. Fruits naturally have a lot of moisture, and they will immediately, upon cutting, start to release their juices, and their colors can bleed throughout the dish. If time is of the essence and you do want to prep ahead, I would recommend preparing your fruits and adding them to the bowl, but do not combine. Layer them as you cut the fruits, place them in a bowl, and store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Make the dressing and also set it aside in a separate bowl until you are ready to put it all together.
Once you are ready to assemble, combine the fruits together as well as the dressing, and serve immediately.

Moisture control: As I said, fruits are deliciously juicy, but you want to make sure you prevent excess moisture so that it doesn’t make the salad soggy. It is important to make sure your berries are washed and dried completely. Take the time needed to make sure your fruits and berries are washed and dried properly.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories per serving: 124

Servings: 12