Recipe excerpt from:
Muy Bueno: Fiestas – 100+ Delicious Mexican Recipes for Celebrating
by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
I grew up in the 1980s and always remember a fluffy and sweet ambrosia-style fruit salad made with canned fruit, Cool Whip, and shredded coconut. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that salad. But nowadays I would rather serve a bowl filled with colorful fresh fruits, a scattering of crunchy jicama, a drizzle of lime juice, and a sprinkling of spicy Tajín. For a festive touch, serve this salad in a hollowed-out pineapple or use a bunny-shaped cookie cutter to cut some of the fruit pieces. You can also thread the fruit and jicama pieces onto bamboo skewers for a great utensil-free potluck contribution.
If you are not a fan of papaya, replace it with cantaloupe.
Makes 6-8 Servings
- 1 small yellow mango, such as Ataulfo, peeled, pitted, and cubed
- 1 red-green mango, such as a Haden, peeled, pitted, and cubed
- 1 small jicama, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup (170 g) chopped pineapple
- 1 cup (140 g) chopped papaya
- 1 cup (155 g) watermelon, in balls or cubes
- 1 teaspoon Tajín seasoning (see Cook’s Note)
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
In a bowl, combine the mangos, jicama, pineapple, papaya, and watermelon and toss gently to mix. Sprinkle with the Tajín, season with salt, and drizzle with the lime juice, then toss well to coat evenly.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day before serving.
Cook’s Note: Tajín is a popular chile-salt-lime seasoning mix made in Mexico and widely available in well-stocked supermarkets and Latin stores in the United States. Clásico, the most popular blend, is made with mild red chiles, while the habanero blend delivers a lot more fire. A low-sodium version is also available.