During this time of uncertainty with no end in sight, we’re going to cook with all the ingredients we have. The normal, the random, and those forgotten impulse buys we made a month ago. This is quarantined cooking.

We might not be able to go to our favorite taqueria or enjoy a pitcher of margaritas this Cinco de Mayo, but we can still bring the festive celebration to our homes. Celebrate the holiday with a simple, Latin-inspired home-cooked meal with margaritas or micheladas on your porch and escape the quarantine blues. This spicy and sweet fruit salad is light and refreshing and balances the heavier fiesta cornbread casserole we made earlier in quarantine. If you don’t like the suggested fruit, substitute for any of your favorites — watermelon, oranges, strawberries, or blueberries are good options. If you don’t like cilantro, you can use basil instead. Happy Cinco de Mayo! ––Justin Burke

Red Pepper Lime Fruit Salad

Ingredients
¼ cup pistachios
1 fennel bulb
6 tablespoons olive oil
¼ 3-pound honeydew, rind and seeds removed, sliced ¼ inch thick
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled and segmented
1 lime
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt, to taste
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast pistachios on a baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, about 6 minutes; let cool. Chop toasted pistachios finely and transfer to a small bowl. 
2. Toast coconut on a baking sheet, tossing until golden brown, about 3 minutes; let cool. 
3. Remove stalks from the fennel bulb and remove fronds from stalks. Finely chop fronds until you have about ⅓ cup, transfer to a bowl with nuts, and stir in oil. Season with salt. 
4. Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline, shave fennel and stalks crosswise. 
5. Place melon, fennel, and grapefruit in a large bowl. Add lime zest, then squeeze juice into the bowl. Drizzle with vinegar and season with salt; toss salad to combine. Add cilantro and coconut and gently toss again to distribute.
6. Arrange half of the fruit on a platter and drizzle with some pistachio oil. Top with remaining fruit and drizzle with remaining pistachio oil. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of fleur de sel.

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy