Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
A little contrast – sweet and sour, crisp and chewy, creamy and crunchy – adds a lot to the experience of eating. “Swicy” has become a popular portmanteau for sweet and spicy, a classic combination in cuisines around the world.
The flavour trend has taken off in recent years, inspiring restaurant menus and new food products. It has become so influential in the condiment and snack-food markets that the term has been officially trademarked by Frito-Lay.
There are plenty of ways to give a summery fruit salad a little kick. Drizzle any sweet, tart and juicy fruit with hot honey, or add a shake of Tajín, the iconic Mexican blend of dried mild chilies, salt and dehydrated lime. Or simmer simple syrup with a jalapeño or other hot chili pepper, along with a splash of lime juice and any additional aromatics you like – perhaps a few slices of fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks or whole star anise. Infused syrup will keep in the fridge for months, and is also delicious in cocktails.
Mild veggies containing lots of water (think crunchy cucumber or peppery radish) pair beautifully with fruit that’s currently in season locally or imported from around the world. You could try watermelon with jicama, tomatoes and peaches, cucumber and pineapple.
After all, many vegetables are technically fruits; from a botanical perspective, a fruit is any seed-bearing structure of a flowering plant. Culinarily speaking, “fruit” commonly refers to produce that’s naturally sweet, and/or is cooked with sugar and served as dessert. “Vegetable” is a culinary term, defined as any edible part of a plant, from roots to leaves and everything in between. That means produce such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers can be both a fruit and vegetable.
Prepare your fruit and veg however you like for this recipe: Leave pieces large, or dice everything more finely for a salad with a salsa-like texture, which can be served over grilled fish or tacos, or eaten as is. The smaller pieces allow for more variety in each spoonful.
Sweet and spicy fruit salad
Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Salads don’t require specific measurements, so this is more guideline than recipe – feel free to add anything you like. Tiny tomatoes pair deliciously with melon and summer stone fruit, and salty, briny feta or creamy goat cheese would be a tasty addition. The jalapeño syrup will keep in the fridge for months – all summer long.
Jalapeño Syrup:
- sugar
- water
- lime juice
- 1 jalapeño or other hot chili pepper, sliced or halved
Salad:
- watermelon and/or other melons, in chunks
- pineapple, peeled and chunked
- kiwi, peeled and sliced
- peaches, nectarines and/or apricots, pitted and sliced
- cherries, pitted
- berries, stemmed and halved, if needed
- cucumber, in slices or chunks
- radish, thinly sliced
- hot honey and/or Tajín (optional)
- fresh mint or basil
To make the syrup, bring equal parts sugar and liquid to a simmer along with the jalapeño, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. This could look like 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup lime juice and water, for example. Remove from the heat and let cool, then strain to remove any aromatics.
Meanwhile, prepare your fruit any way you like and toss it in a bowl, or arrange on a platter. Drizzle the syrup over top, or use hot honey. If you like, add a shake of Tajín. Garnish with fresh mint or basil. Serves as many as you like.