Name: Ensalada de Frutas (Fruit Salad)
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Central & South AmericanLatin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: ½ cup lemon juice , squeezed from 3 lemons; 1 green apple; 1 ripe Anjou or Bartlett pear; 2 bananas; 2 oranges , plus 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice; 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) strawberries; 1 cup ½-inch pineapple pieces (you can substitute canned pineapple in the winter); 1 (15 ounces/425 grams) can sliced peaches , drained and chopped into ½ inch pieces; 3 cups ice cubes; 2 cups water; 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe was originally published in Gaby's Latin American Kitchen. From Gaby Melian: The ensalada de frutas I grew up with in Argentina is not your everyday fruit salad. Many different types of fruit are cut into bite-size pieces and soaked in citrus juice and ice cubes. In South America, Christmas falls right in the middle of summer, making a cold fruit salad the perfect holiday dish. The fancier the gathering, the more fruits I like to add to my ensalada de frutas. A basic version of this dish involves banana, green apple, pear, orange, and grapes. But to make it superfancy? Add pineapple. For me, pineapple smells like Christmas. That’s when the pineapples are in season and affordable and taste amazing in Argentina. When I was growing up, my abuela always added a few spoonfuls of sugar to her ensalada de fruta.

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Instructions

Pour the lemon juice into a large bowl. Chop the apple, pear, bananas, oranges, and strawberries following photos, “Cómo preparar la fruta para hacer la ensalada (How to Prepare the Fruit for the Salad),” below, adding each fruit to the bowl of lemon juice as you chop. (This will ensure that the apples, pears, and bananas do not oxidize and turn brown!)

Use a rubber spatula to gently stir until the fruit is well coated with lemon juice. Add the pineapple and peaches to the bowl and toss gently to combine.

Add the orange juice, ice cubes, water, and sugar (if using). Gently stir to combine. Serve in cups or bowls with some juice spooned over top—the juicier the better! (The salad can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 hours.)