Pineapple (and melon) goes a bit savoury in this simple lime-scented salad. The key is to slice thinly, scatter with torn herbs and, just before serving, spritz over fresh lime juice and douse – and I mean douse – in best extra virgin olive oil. Salad as healthy dessert or classy starter. So easy and elegant, too.
But, if the rain is pouring and the wind is lashing where you are, why not make your own sunshine? Just like it is hard to feel down while out walking in the hills, or even just somewhere interesting, it is hard not to smile when cutting up a pineapple or watermelon. These are just the cheeriest fruits I know.
Back in the day these were cheerful to me because I would make friends very happy by infusing these tropical fruits with vodka or white rum (yep, my early 20s). Personally I wasn’t too fond of eating it this way, but I love a bit of fruit carving and titivating. Now older, wiser and with deference to my liver I stick to eating it raw, enhanced only by a dressing or, in this case, a squoosh of fragrant lime and a drizzle over of the best olive oil I have to hand. That’s pretty much it!
If you haven’t had fruit in a savoury-ish way, this might just be the best recipe to start with. This unusual salad has just a few fragrant and singularly summery ingredients, made more special by not only their marriage in best oil but the thin, carpaccio slices that really soak up flavour and make it look all fancy. I like fancy if that fancy is a) not expensive, and b) requires almost no effort or skill.
Feel free to slice over a sparky red chilli to liven up further proceedings, or blend it all up and drink it! But hold the vodka for me. 😉
Pineapple and Melon Carpaccio
Pineapple (and melon) goes a bit savoury in this simple, lime-scented salad. The key is to slice thinly, scatter with torn herbs and, just before serving, spritz over fresh lime juice and douse – and I mean douse – in best extra virgin olive oil. Salad as healthy dessert or snazzy starter. So easy and elegant, too.
1 small pineapple
Small wedge of ripe, seedless watermelon or Galia melon
6-8 radishes, topped and tailed
small palmful each of fresh mint and coriander
1 lime
Best quality extra virgin olive oil – single estate, peppery stuff if possible. Here is an article from the Independent newspaper on best olive oils in the UK.
Flaky sea salt, like Maldon or Halen Mon (maybe their vanilla salt)
Method:
1. Tackle the pineapple by slicing off each end with a heavy knife, then stand it on a cutting board and remove the skin and brown “eyes”, following its natural contours.
2. Cut the pineapple in half across the middle and either use an apple corer to remove the core or – as I did – slice in half vertically and use the corer. You may also use a small paring or serrated knife if you don’t have an apple corer or the core is quite big. Take your time to slice paper-thin slices, laying them on a pretty platter or plate.
3. For the melon, remove the rind and cut into small cubes, or do as carpaccio. I like the contrast of textures myself. Dot the melon over the pineapple. You may not wish to use it all. Cook’s perk!
4. Thinly slice the radishes and lay the thin disks over the pineapple. Now tear over the mint and coriander; zest the lime (if you like), squeeze the lime over the whole surface and douse evenly with olive oil just before serving. Sprinkle with a little salt. This last step really brings out the flavour. Trust me.
5. To serve, place the plate between you and your fellow diner and dig in with two forks. I made this for foodie friends recently and Nick declared it his favourite ever salad. I think it is mine too.
Nutrition notes: Pineapple is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals as well as full of healthy, digestion-enhancing fibre. Eat a dietitian’s recommended 80 gram serving and you get half a day’s allowance of vitamin C. One really cool compound in those golden fibres is bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme that not only helps with digestion (and tenderises meat), but also reduces excess inflammation (always a good thing), thins the blood, and may slow tumour growth. Here are some tips on choosing the best pineapple. Top tip > ripe pineapples can be either golden OR green.
Cancer patients and carers: Fresh or tinned pineapple is often very soothing if chemotherapy has given you a dry mouth, and can help if taste is dulled too. The people I see in my work at the Maggie’s Cancer Centre tell me that they like it best mashed up and frozen to a slushy texture. They make great ice lollies mixed with pureed banana too. Add coconut milk to give you more calories.
Soft Food Diet: Whiz up the pineapple and add one half to a tall glass. Whiz up the melon with lime juice and a drop or two of mint extract (Holy Lama Spicedrops has the best in the UK) and add this. Top with the rest of the pineapple
**If you are reading this on the site, Easy Low Cal Recipes, this has been published without my permission.**
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