Most fruit salad experiences are dull: canned in syrup or unripe chunks from sandwich chains. The best are life-enhancing and made fresh at home. With summer's bounty, now is the time to make them. Eat sweet or savoury, heighten flavour with floral waters, spices, herbs or citrus, and enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dessert.
Shaved mango and cucumber salad with Tajín and tequila dressing
Tajín is a mouth-puckering spice mix often sprinkled over fruit; it also makes an excellent margarita rim. If you can't find it, mix a tablespoon of mild chilli powder, half a teaspoon of ground sea salt, a quarter-teaspoon of citric acid and the zest of one lime.
Prep 10 min Cook 10 min Serves 4
Ingredients: 3 ripe mangoes, peeled; 1 large cucumber; 1-2 tbsp Tajín, or to taste. For the dressing: Juice of 2 limes; 2 tbsp tequila; 1 tbsp agave syrup; 30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped; 60ml avocado oil.
Shave the mangoes and cucumber using a vegetable peeler, discarding stones and seeds, then arrange on a platter. Blitz lime juice, tequila, agave syrup and coriander in a blender, then slowly drizzle in oil until emulsified. Drizzle over the shaved mango and cucumber, toss to coat. Scatter with Tajín and serve at once.
Tropical fruit salad with lemongrass, vanilla and ginger syrup
Make this the night before to let the fruit soak up the syrup flavours. It's perfect for taking to a barbecue or picnic in a large jar.
Prep 20 min Cook 15 min Chill 2 hr+ Serves 6
Ingredients: 1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks; 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-sized pieces; ½ honeydew or cantaloupe melon, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks; 2 guavas, peeled and cut into pieces; 20 lychees, stoned; 1 small papaya, cut into pieces. For the syrup: 4 tbsp golden caster sugar; 8 makrut lime leaves; 2 lemongrass stalks, bashed; 2cm piece ginger, peeled and sliced; 1 vanilla pod; 2 star anise; 500ml water.
Put all cut fruit in a large bowl. To make the syrup, put all syrup ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the hob, leave to cool, then strain over the fruit. Refrigerate for at least two hours, ideally overnight. Serve with ice-cream.
Labneh with watermelon, berries, rose and pistachio dukkah
Add rosewater cautiously to taste, as some brands are stronger than others – aim for lightly perfumed.
Prep 15 min Drain 24 hr Infuse 30 min Cook 20 min Serves 6
Ingredients: 900g Greek yoghurt; 1 big pinch flaky sea salt; 800g watermelon, peeled and cut into wedges or pieces; 125g strawberries, hulled and halved; 125g raspberries; 2 tsp rosewater. For the sweet dukkah: 80g pistachios; 40g pine nuts; 1 tbsp poppy seeds; 2 tbsp sesame seeds; zest of 1 large orange; 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground cardamom; 2 tbsp runny honey; 1 fat pinch sea salt.
Line a deep bowl with muslin. Mix yoghurt and salt, scoop into muslin, bring edges together to form a tight bundle, tie with string, and hang over the bowl for 24 hours in the fridge. The next day, remove labneh and spread on a platter. In a bowl, sprinkle watermelon and berries with rosewater, leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Mix dukkah ingredients, spread on a lined baking sheet, roast for 8-10 minutes until nutty. Bash roughly in a mortar. To serve, top labneh with watermelon and berries, drizzle over juices, and sprinkle with dukkah.
