Tahitian Fruit Salad — A Bowl of Summer for the Whole Neighborhood

Week 482. Year 10. Tommy is 43. The Fourth of July cookout on Claycut Drive — the annual institution, the neighborhood gathering, the brisket or the hog or the ribs on the pit and the thirty or forty people in the driveway and Carl at the door and the sparklers at dusk. Colette (16) in high school, painting. The summer is loud and hot and full.

Made blackened shrimp this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The bayou runs on.

The shrimp were the heart of the meal, but a cookout on Claycut Drive feeds thirty or forty people, and a heart needs something cool and bright beside it — something that doesn’t compete but completes. This Tahitian Fruit Salad was exactly that: island color in a bowl, passed hand to hand down a driveway full of neighbors, the kind of dish that disappears before you think to take a picture. If the bayou runs on, so does summer — and summer always has room for a little fruit.

Tahitian Fruit Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed
• 2 cups fresh mango, cubed
• 1 cup fresh papaya, cubed
• 1 cup strawberries, halved
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the fresh lime juice, honey, and lime zest until the honey is fully dissolved. Set aside.
2. Prepare the fruit. Cube the pineapple, mango, and papaya into bite-sized pieces. Halve the strawberries and grapes, and slice the peeled kiwis.
3. Combine. Add all prepared fruit to a large serving bowl and gently toss together.
4. Dress the salad. Drizzle the lime-honey dressing over the fruit and toss gently until evenly coated.
5. Finish and chill. Sprinkle shredded coconut over the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
6. Garnish and serve. Just before serving, scatter fresh mint leaves over the top. Serve cold.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 110 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 15mg