Fresh Fruit Salad with Orange Juice and Honey
Juicy strawberries, blueberries, kiwi and grapes are tossed in a bright orange-honey dressing with a splash of lime. The fruit macerates briefly, so it gets sweeter and makes its own syrup. It is a simple, make-ahead side for brunch, picnics and potlucks.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Makes
- About 6 cups (6 side-dish servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Chill the orange juice and the fruit if you can. The finished salad is best served cold.
- Squeeze fresh oranges if possible. Fresh juice tastes brighter than bottled. If you use store-bought, choose not-from-concentrate with no added sugar.
- Plan for 30 minutes of chilling. The kiwi goes in during the last 10 minutes so it stays firm.
- If your honey is thick or crystallized, warm the jar in a bowl of hot tap water for a few minutes so it whisks in smoothly.
Wash and dry fruit
- Rinse the strawberries, blueberries and grapes in a colander under cool running water.
- Spread them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and pat dry.
- Water left on the fruit will dilute the dressing and make the salad watery.
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Ready when: Fruit looks matte and feels dry to the touch.
Tip: Wash berries just before using. Washing earlier makes them soften and spoil faster.
Cut berries and grapes
- Hull the strawberries and cut them into quarters, or halves if small, so the pieces are about the size of a blueberry.
- Halve the grapes lengthwise.
- Put the strawberries, grapes and whole blueberries in a large mixing bowl.
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Ready when: All pieces are roughly bite-size and similar in size.
Prepare the kiwi
- Slice off both ends of each kiwi and peel with a paring knife or a spoon slid between skin and flesh.
- Halve lengthwise and cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) half-moons.
- Set the kiwi aside in a separate small bowl.
- It goes in later because it turns soft and mushy if it sits in juice too long.
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Ready when: Kiwi pieces are bright green and hold their shape.
Tip: Use kiwis that yield slightly when pressed. Very soft ones fall apart when tossed.
Whisk the dressing
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the orange juice, honey, lime juice and orange zest, if using.
- Whisk for about 30 seconds until the honey fully dissolves and there are no streaks on the bottom of the bowl.
- Taste it.
- It should be sweet, with a clear citrus tang.
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Ready when: Dressing is smooth and uniform in color with no honey strands.
Tip: If it tastes flat, add another teaspoon of lime juice. If the fruit is tart, add 1 teaspoon more honey.
Toss and macerate
- Pour the dressing over the strawberries, grapes and blueberries.
- Gently fold with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times to coat everything.
- Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes so the fruit softens slightly and absorbs the sweet-citrus flavor.
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Ready when: A shallow pool of rosy syrup has formed at the bottom of the bowl.
Tip: Fold gently so the strawberries and blueberries don't burst.
Add kiwi and chill
- Add the kiwi to the bowl and fold in gently 3 or 4 times.
- Cover and chill for another 10 minutes, just long enough for the kiwi to take on some flavor while staying firm.
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Ready when: Salad is cold to the touch and the kiwi slices are still holding their shape.
Garnish and serve
- Stack the mint leaves, roll them up and slice into thin ribbons.
- Sprinkle over the salad, give it one last gentle stir and spoon into bowls with plenty of the juices.
- Serve cold.
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Ready when: Mint is fragrant and evenly scattered through the fruit.
Tip: Cut the mint right before serving. It darkens at the edges within minutes.
Good to know
Tips
- Cut all the fruit to a similar size so every spoonful has a mix of flavors and textures.
- Add soft fruit such as kiwi, banana or raspberries last. They break down quickly in acidic juice.
- The acid in orange and lime juice helps slow browning, so this salad also works with sliced apples or pears if you want to add them.
- Taste the fruit before dressing it. Very ripe, sweet fruit needs only 1 tablespoon of honey, and tart fruit may need an extra teaspoon.
Make ahead
"Prepare the strawberries, grapes, blueberries and dressing up to 4 hours ahead. Keep the dressing in a jar and the fruit in a covered container in the refrigerator, then toss them together at least 20 minutes before serving. Cut the kiwi and add the mint no more than 15 minutes before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 1 hour (for example on a buffet table), then return to the fridge. Refrigerator: in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The fruit softens and the kiwi gets mushier over time, so the salad is best within 24 hours. Freezer: not recommended because thawed fruit turns mushy. No reheating needed. Serve cold, or stir and drain off excess juice if it has pooled."
Substitutions
- honey → maple syrup or agave nectar. Use the same amount. The flavor will be slightly different but the dressing works the same. Use maple syrup for a vegan salad.
- ripe kiwis (about 3 medium) → 1 cup (150 g) cubed pineapple or mango. Pineapple adds tartness and mango adds sweetness. Add at the same point as the kiwi, near the end.
- fresh lime juice → fresh lemon juice. Use the same amount. Lemon is a little less floral than lime but gives the same brightness.
- fresh blueberries → raspberries or blackberries. Use the same volume and fold more gently, because they are more delicate than blueberries.
