Spanish Macedonia Tropical Fruit Salad

Spanish fruit salad recipe

Creativ Studio Heinemann / Getty Images

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Marinate: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 4 servings

In Spain, fresh fruit is commonly served for dessert both in the home and out at restaurants. At home, a basket of fresh fruit may be placed in the middle of the dinner table for family and guests to peel and eat. At restaurants, you may order fruit for dessert from the menu. Usually, it's seasonal, but popular choices include green melon, watermelon, apple, and pineapple.

Other fruit-based desserts include ice cream with a bit of cut-up fresh fruit on the side. Other times the fruit may be in a frozen dessert (like a sorbet or ice cream) or mixed with whipped cream (such as the popular fresas con nata, strawberries with cream).

This recipe is for a simple fruit salad, which the Spanish call a macedonia de fruta tropical. Surprisingly, all of the fruit required does grow in Spain, as the tropical fruits thrive in parts of Southern Spain and the Canary Islands. If possible, use cane honey, a black molasses-like syrup from Madeira. This fruit salad is perfect for the whole family, but for an adults-only version, you may add a splash of rum, sparkling wine or liqueur. It makes the perfect snack, dessert, or even brunch item.

Ingredients

  • 1 papaya

  • 1 mango

  • 1/2 pineapple

  • 1 pint strawberries

  • 1 chirimoya, or custard apple

  • 1 orange

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cane honey, or cane molasses

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Peel the papaya, pineapple, chirimoya, and mango. Be sure to cut off the “eyes” of the pineapple and seed the chirimoya.

  3. Cut the papaya, pineapple, and mango into bite-size pieces and place in a ceramic mixing bowl.

  4. Rinse the strawberries and remove the leaves (hull), then cut each into 4 pieces and place in the same bowl with the other fruit.

  5. Juice the orange and lemon and pour over fruit. Drizzle honey over fruit and mix thoroughly. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until you are ready to serve.

Recipe Variations

  • Drunken Fruit Salad Option: If you like, splash a bit of rum, Spanish cava (sparkling wine) or Liquor 43 (a Spanish liqueur) over the salad before refrigerating.
  • Whipped Cream Option: Whip heavy whipping cream just before serving and add a dollop of it on top of each individual serving.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
818 Calories
3g Fat
206g Carbs
15g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 818
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 70mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 206g 75%
Dietary Fiber 33g 118%
Total Sugars 65g
Protein 15g
Vitamin C 521mg 2,607%
Calcium 248mg 19%
Iron 5mg 30%
Potassium 2612mg 56%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)