Pluot Summer Salad
A pluot-centric fruit salad with toasted ginger, garlic, and shallots. It is drizzled with a simple lime soy sauce dressing, and is generously flecked with herbs - in this case, mint, basil, and cilantro.
Fruit salad this time of year is often sweet. Juicy, ripe, fragrant fruit tossed with sweet dressings. It's summer salad bliss, bite after bite. That said, I often feel compelled to snap these fruit salads out of dessert-land and lead them over to the savory side of the neighborhood. And that's what we're doing today.
Savory, Fruity Summer Fruit Salads
One of the more popular examples of this genre of salad is the (always popular) combination of watermelon, feta, and mint. You probably know it well. You get sweetness from the melon, salt from the feta, and the tingly herbaceous-ness of the mint. That's one example, but there are many other ways to explore this realm. And there are many ways to accent and play off the soft sweetness of summer fruit. I thought we might work through some other ideas on the path to today's recipe. Let's brainstorm!
Summer fruits are often tender, so bringing crunch and texture to a preparation can be good. You might use fried onions, shallot, or toasted nuts. I think we can agree, few things aren't improved by introducing deeply caramelized shallots - they're a favorite component in this salad (or many salads, really). Beyond that, the introduction of a medley of green notes is often welcome and you can use a wide range of herbs, sprouts, or salad greens. 
Today's Pluot Summer Salad
This salad is all about the pluots. They are peak in the markets right now, so this recipe centers around them. If you can't find great pluots, you might try a version with another stone fruit, or a blend of them. Plums, cherries, nectarines and the like are fair game. Here the fruit is set off with toasted ginger, garlic, and shallots. It is drizzled with a simple lime soy sauce dressing, and is generously flecked with herbs - mint, basil, and cilantro. Also, lots of toasted peanuts.
It's also super adaptable. Bri noted in the comments below, "...right now, asian pears, persimmons, and pomegranates are in season, but no pluots or plums. I made a substitution with those three, minus the dried fruit, and it turned out wonderfully..."
A Couple of Notes
Make an effort to source good ginger. I can often find organic Hawaiian ginger, or locally grown ginger, and tend to stock up on that.
The recipe below features a soy sauce/shoyu dressing here, and I love it, but you can make the dressing substituting salt instead. The flavor of the fruit will come through more directly. It's just a slightly simpler take. In that case, add the honey to the lime juice, as called for, then whisk in sea salt until the dressing tastes balanced and delicious to you.
Here's where you can find more salad recipes. On the summer salad front, be sure to check out the Summer Melon Salad and forever these Slushie Cocktails!
More Summer Fruit Recipes
- Simple Red Fruit Salad
- Summer Berry Crisp
- Roasted Strawberries
- Watermelon Poke
- Blackberry Limeade
- Berry Swirl Ice Cream
- Summer Fruit Salad
Premium Ad-Free membership includes:
-Ad-free content
-Print-friendly recipes
-Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest recipe collection PDF
-Weeknight Express recipe collection PDF
-Surprise bonuses throughout the year
Pluot Summer Salad
This is the sort of preparation that can be easily simplified if needed. You can certainly use a single fruit instead of the blend of pluots, cherries, and dried figs called for. And a single herb, in place of the trio. Really, what you want to do is source the best fruit you can, and start there. Most of the battle with a recipe like this is won or lost at the market. I used Flavor King Pluots here, but go for what tastes best. Start with room temperature fruit. It will allow for the greatest expression of flavor.
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter or extra-virgin coconut oil
- 4 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 medium garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- a 1/2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled and finely minced
- 1 1/2 T fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce / shoyu
- 2 teaspoons runny honey
- 5 ripe pluots, pitted and torn
- 1 cup pitted cherries, torn in half
- 4 dried figs, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup toasted peanuts, chopped
- a small handful of each, chopped - fresh basil, mint, and cilantro
-
Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet, and cook the shallots, stirring regularly, until they take on a good amount of color. Stir in the garlic cloves, allow to cook another minute or two, and then stir in the ginger for the final minute. Set aside.
-
Whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl, until the honey dissolves completely. Taste and adjust if needed.
-
Arrange the pluots, cherries, and figs in a serving bowl. Drizzle with half of the soy dressing, and toss very gently. Add the shallot mixture, most of the peanuts, and most of the herbs. Toss gently to distribute everything evenly. Taste, decide if you want to add more dressing, and serving sprinkled with the remaining peanuts and herbs.
Serves 4-6.
Related Recipes
Simple Red Fruit Salad
Red fruit salad, arguably better than old-school fruit salad. Made with plump strawberries, sweet cherries, lemon zest, and coriander brown sugar. Five ingredients. So good.
Summer Melon Salad
A simple summer melon salad. Sweet chunks of melon combine with toasted almonds for crunch, serrano chiles and scallions counter the sweet, there's small dollops of crème fraîche, cilantro, and a wash of sake. A real summer refresher.
50+ Best Salad Recipes
A list of fifty of the best salad recipes I’ve prepared over the years. You’ll see a mix of green salads, chopped salads, grain and pasta salads. They all have an emphasis on fresh, whole, seasonal, plant-based ingredients.
Watermelon Poke
So good! This watermelon poke recipe is for any of you who love the idea of poke or poke bowls, but don't eat fish for whatever reason. With a feisty sesame, cayenne, soy sauce dressing.
Summer Fruit Salad
A summer fruit salad featuring berries, peaches and pluots. It is drizzled with a citrusy lemongrass and honey dressing, topped with toasted walnuts, and lots of mint.
Blackberry Limeade
This blackberry limeade is a stunning jeweled-toned refresher, perfect for summer, from the cookbook Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose.
Post Your Comment
Comments
Please, what on earth are pluots? I don’t think we have them in the UK, unless they are known by another name.{
Here you go Annabel. Pluots – you can certainly swap in another more common stone fruit if you like.
Looks like a very refreshing and healthy salad. I will be making this one very soon.
Great fresh looking salad. it looks so tempting. i will put it on show tonight. thanks for this fresh recipe!
agh! my late night dinner couldn’t have been better. this dish has a lot going for it
I live in Nepal, and the fruit selection here is quite different than in the States. Right now, asian pears, persimmons, and pomegranates are in season, but no pluots or plums. I made a substitution with those three, minus the dried fruit, and it turned out wonderfully. Thanks for the recipe!
Thoughtful writing Heidi – I really enjoyed reading this! Thanks again for another lovely recipe, photos and writing.
Oh, you had me until you said cilantro! The salad sounds and looks beautiful, but to me cilantro ruins a dish. Just a few leaves added and thats all you can taste. Think i will try this salad tomorrow minus the cilantro.
This looks so summery and fresh. I love light salads especially on hot summer days. Today my dinner will include this. Thanks for sharing it.
dinner last night was this lovely salad and the broccoli – coconut milk soup you posted some time ago. went down really well! thank you! some steamed corn and grilled chicken … and the whole meal came together in an hour … many thanks!
continued . . the produce manager reported that this recent shipment of ginger (in Oregon) came from Peru. Gosh, we eat a lot of organic ginger: dressings, marinades, tea, salads and I even sometimes rub some the (unusable) shredded rhizome on my wrists and neck . . for a perfume while in the kitch. So fragrant.
If anyone knows where one could purchase fresh (Hawaiin) ginger online, please consider posting a link. We use quite a lot of ginger purchased (weekly) at “Market of Choice” in the Pacific Northwest area. I’ll get with the produce manager there, but in the meanwhile I have only found wholesalers online. Thanks a bunch.
The weather has been hot here and salads are the only way to go. I like creating salads with an ethnic twist – using Thai, or Indian spices and seasonings in an oil and vinegar dressing. I have just started to add nuts to salads – it is a great way to add another texture. Loved your recipe and will give it a try. Thanks
Just did a version of this – with mint as the sole herb and peach, apricot and two dried dates as the fruit. Everything else I did as written and it is UTTERLY DELICIOUS.
Where have you found ginger from Hawaii? I’m in the Bay Area, so maybe from the same source you’ve found –
HS: Hi A – usually at Bi-Rite or Rainbow. 🙂
Where do you find the Hawaiian ginger in San Francisco? I live in the Western Addition and often buy mine at Bi-Rite which carries organic ginger from Peru.
This salad is genius. I’m making it for the second night in a row. I swapped pecans for the peanuts and I loved it. I think this would be great with duck breasts…
made it, love it.
Looks amazing. I live in kenya so don’t get some if the exotic fruits and also they are rather seasonal. May be I can try it with plums or nectarines instead? I absolutely love all the info and recipes here and the explanation is so simple. Im really glad I found this site.
Your photo’s are beautiful! What a great combination of flavours 🙂
I was with you all the way, intrigued even and then you mentioned the soy-lime vinaigrette and there was no turning back.
I really love the combination of flavors and your use of fruit in a savory salad here. So refreshing and enticing!
Oh my heavens! I am drooling — not very ladylike but right now I don’t care. There are great combinations of salads that don’e have to have a sickly sweet combination. I really enjoy being surprised by flavors — in a good way. Great post!!
oh holy heavens, YUM. And to think, I just came home with a dozen pluots…
(Thank you!!)
A friend of mine once served up a ‘salad’ of watermelon and avocado, just sprinkled with flaky salt. I’ll never forget it!
This sounds gorgeous, I hope this year is a glut one for plums (it seems to go in cycles here).
I’m so sad I’m allergic to cherries – this time of year, at least. What a beautiful salad!
I remember your dried pluot salad from a couple of years ago- this one reminded me of the other which is so nousihing.
Oh my god, pluots, peanuts, figs – I think I start feeling the texture and taste in my mouth and this salad seems especially delicious! Will most definitely try it out soon, thank you for sharing!
Well this is completely gorgeous! I looove the flavor combos going on here. How perfect for a Summer lunch outdoors 🙂
Oh wow, I had never even heard of a pluot before, but it’s definitely on my list of things to try now!
I want to try this salad soon! I have had savory fruit salads in the past and have loved them. For example, watermelon, tomatoes, feta, and scallions. Also, blueberry, quinoa, avocado, walnut, and lime juice. This is why I look forward to trying your recipe.
This sounds absolutely amazing! Love the dried figs in it as well!
I made a lentil barley salad with blueberries and apricots the other day. Also I added pine nuts for the crunch. YOu always need something crunchy in a salad as well. The dressing was just some orange juice and chili oil… So refreshing for hot summer days.
You had me at toasted ginger. What an awesome combination with the fruit!
I like to do savory fruit salads with some greens in the mix as well. Just enough to add color & fiber, so that the fruit is still the primary ingredient. Baby kale and arugula are two favorites for that purpose.
looks delicious! I pulled together a yummy salad recently with fresh spinach, just-picked blueberries, walnuts and gorgonzola–very satisfying!
I want to try this salad soon! I have had savory fruit salads in the past and have loved them. For example, watermelon, tomatoes, feta, and scallions. Also, blueberry, quinoa, avocado, walnut, and lime juice. This is why I look forward to trying your recipe.
What a great salad! I always tend to do the same ones over and over again and they never contain any fruits. I will have to give this a try 🙂 thanks for sharing.
‘If I can’t find plots, what fruit would you recommend?
I just received some beautiful local plums and THIS is what I will try with some of them!
Savory fruit salad? Great idea, and beautiful presentation, as always. I’m excited to try it!
How you come up with these amazing flavour combinations all the time, I’ll never know!
Love the addition of peanuts to this! Sweet and salty but in a little less usual form, I like it 😀 And the colours, wow! ^ ^ I hope the week’s treating you well so far 🙂 x
What a beautifully composed salad, and I love how you explain your approach to it. Structured creativity at its best. Again, love it!
More Recipes
Weekly recipes and inspirations.
Popular Ingredients