The Everyday Chef: Deliciously Stunning Dragon Fruit Salad

Andrew Dole, RDN, CEC
Everyday Chef, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters

So you bought a dragon fruit, now what? Incredibly pretty on the outside and, like anything unfamiliar, a bit intimidating. Not to worry! I will show you how to get the exotic fruit out of that dragon shell and into a deliciously stunning dish. You won’t believe how easy it is!

The flavor is under-whelming compared to the dragon fruit’s appearance, but that is actually a good thing. The soft pear-kiwi like flavor plays well with other ingredients, making an ideal ingredient for visual “wow” factor without being overbearing on the taste buds.

Dragon fruit comes in two different interior colors: white and red. White is considerably less messy with a cool polka dot look from the tiny black seeds. Red dragon fruit is a deep, vibrant, crimson. They both taste exactly the same with identical textures.

In this video I use the outer rind as a cup for a quick fresh fruit salad. Cantaloupe and strawberries were what I had on hand, but don’t be afraid to mix your favorite fruits in.



Dragon Fruit Salad Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 each – Dragon Fruit, flesh small diced*
¼ Cup – Cantaloupe, small diced
¼ Cup – Strawberries, quartered

*Save scooped out dragon fruit rinds.

Procedure
Fill dragon fruit rinds with cut fruit.
Any fruit combination will work. Kiwi and mango are beautiful additions for a striking color combination.

Nutrient Analysis:
Calories: 43.27 kcal, Protein: 1.30 g, Carbs: 7.68 g, Total Fat: 1.10 g
Sat Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 0.00 mg, Sodium: 33.33 mg, Fiber: 1.09 g

Photo Credit: Andrew Dole