Chilled Mixed Fruit

My week with the kids. Eighty-eight degrees. The smoker outside, the air conditioner inside, the door opening and closing. Plant had a quality issue Wednesday. Caught it. Antoine and I rebuilt fourteen Jeeps in three hours. Earned the team a pizza party.

Pop's tireder. Sugar runs low some days. Mama monitors. Pop complains. The system holds. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Fish fry Friday. Catfish. Seasoned cornmeal. Cast iron at three-seventy-five.

Aiden's 11. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

The week held. The kitchen held. The chain holds.

Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.

A reader wrote in about the smothered pork chops. Said her late husband loved them. I wrote back. I told her about Pop. We exchanged three emails. She's in Saginaw. She's coming to the city in the spring.

The custody calendar holds. Aiden and Zaria alternate weeks. Brianna and I co-parent without drama now. We do not always have to like each other to do this right.

The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.

I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.

Filled the propane tank Wednesday. The smoker is the only appliance I baby. Wiped it down. Checked the gaskets. Checked the temperature gauge. The smoker is mine the way Pop's torque wrench was his.

A catering inquiry came in this week — fifty-person family reunion. Booked. Saturday after next.

The block had a small drama Tuesday. Somebody parked in front of Ms. Diane's driveway. Ms. Diane addressed it directly. The car moved within the hour. The neighborhood polices itself on small things.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.

I cleaned the smoker Sunday morning. Brushed the grates. Emptied the ash. Wiped down the body. The smoker repays attention. So does most everything that matters.

Mr. Williams across the street had a heart scare. He is okay. We are all watching each other now. I took him a plate of greens and chicken Wednesday. He said, "DeShawn. You're a good neighbor." I said, "We're even, Mr. Williams. You shoveled my walk in 2024." He laughed.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.

Fish Fry Friday in my house is the cast iron, the cornmeal, the catfish—but eighty-eight degrees outside means you need something cold on that table that isn’t just sweet tea. I had a watermelon from Eastern Market, the vendors knew exactly which one to hand me, and Zaria was on the step stool ready to help with something she could actually handle on her own. This Chilled Mixed Fruit is that recipe—simple enough for an eight-year-old with opinions about seasoning, cold enough to cut through the heat, and the kind of thing that disappears before the catfish does.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 45 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

4 cups watermelon, cubed and seeded
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1 cup blueberries, rinsed
1 cup seedless green or red grapes, halved
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (or canned in juice, drained)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn (optional)

Instructions

Prep the fruit. Cube the watermelon, hull and halve the strawberries, halve the grapes, and cut the pineapple into bite-sized chunks. Add all fruit to a large mixing bowl.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, and lime zest until the honey is fully dissolved.
Combine. Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss gently with a large spoon until everything is evenly coated. Take care not to break up the watermelon.
Chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer to a lidded container. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together and the fruit get fully cold.
Finish and serve. Just before serving, scatter torn fresh mint over the top if using. Serve cold, straight from the bowl—family-style.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chilled Mixed Fruit — The Side That Belongs at Every Fish Fry Friday