Persimmon Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
I was inspired to make this persimmon harvest salad with maple vinaigrette after watching a recent episode of House Hunters International.
Persimmon Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Do any of you watch that show? It’s me and my sister’s favorite “reality tv” show. My sister will often come over just to watch the latest episodes with me; our favorite episodes to watch are the ones where they travel to France (obviously).
On one of the more recent episodes, there was a woman who was moving with her family from Iowa to France. Once they arrived, they visited a French farmer’s market and found themselves in for some culture shock.
They were amazed at all the fruits and vegetables that were available, and they were particularly confused over a batch of persimmons. They didn’t know they were actually persimmons, and instead thought they were some kind of odd tomato.
I absolute love persimmons, so watching that episode inspired me to create this salad so that persimmons become a regular on your grocery list during this time of the year.
If you’ve never had a persimmon, you’re in for a delightful surprise. There are two common types: fuyu and hachiya. Fuyu persimmons are quite hard and crisp, like an apple. A hachiya persimmon should be extremely soft and juicy like a plum.
It’s important to know the difference because if you pick up a hard hachiya persimmon and assume it’s a fuyu persimmon, you’re in for an unpleasant experience. Eating an unripe persimmon is like eating a cotton ball, but worse.
It’ll immediately dry your mouth and make you desperate to spit the fruit out. So, just pay attention when you’re picking out the persimmon and make sure you’re getting the right type!
Because fuyu persimmons are so much like apples in their texture, you can understand why they’d make for a great salad ingredient. I like that fuyu persimmons are sweet but not overwhelmingly so. They also add gorgeous color to the leafy greens here, and they pair well with the sweet and tart cranberries that are mixed in too.
Another favorite addition to this salad are the spiced pumpkin seeds I tossed in. You can buy those at Trader Joe’s or make your own. They add a little bit of crunch to the salad while adding some of our favorite fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Perhaps the most appealing part of this salad, however, is the maple vinaigrette. It’s a simple 4-ingredient vinaigrette, and it’s absolute magic on this salad. Actually, I think it’s pretty much amazing on any fall salad. It’s made with maple syrup, mayo, olive oil, and white wine vinegar, and it’ll rock your world.
This salad has become my go-to salad this season, and I think it will become yours as well.
Persimmon Harvest Salad
A delicious fall salad made with seasonal persimmon, tart cranberries, and an irresistible maple vinaigrette.
Ingredients
for the salad
- 5 oz herb salad mix
- 2 fuyu persimmon, peeled and cut into slices
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds, see note
for the dressing
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp to 1 1/2 white wine vinegar, to taste
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl; set aside. To create the dressing, simply whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Evenly drizzle half the dressing all over the salad. Toss the salad and assess how much more dressing you’d like to add.
Notes
I use Trader Joe’s pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds, but you can use plain pumpkin seeds or make your own spiced version.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 288
Sounds wonderful. I must try this.
Thank you Cristie! Let me know if you do try it! XO
I love adding squash to my salad this time of year. I like persimmon, but have not tired them in salad. Looks delicious!!
Thanks Jacquee! They are great in salad, and easy too since you don’t have to do anything to them to make them tasty! 🙂
I love persimmon so I’m very excited to see it in a recipe! It’s great in salads.
Thanks Christine! 🙂
Wow what a lovely combo! love love this salad ! Pinned
Thanks so much, Farida!! You’re so kind! XO
I can’t wait to make this! Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits. I once ate an entire 30 lb box of persimmons all by myself. They were almost impossible to find when I was growing up unless you knew someone growing them. On a road trip from LA to San Jose, my dad saw a large persimmon tree growing in somones front yard. He pulled over and pleaded with the man to sell us a big box. I happily ate the entire box. I am SO happy they’re finally finding making their presence known and are more readily available.
Persimmons are so tasty – I don’t blame you for keeping those persimmons to yourself! I would love to have a persimmon tree in my yard, that would be so divine! Thanks for sharing your story, Ann! <3
I love this salad! Being from Italy I’ve eaten many persimmons, both hard and soft, but never in a salad. Here in Canada they’re not always easy to find and very few know what to do with them ;-). My compliments to you and your wonderful blog.
Thank you so much, Nicoletta! Persimmons are great, huh? But you’re right, not as easy to find as some of the other fruit. Thank you for the compliment and for stopping by <3
Cool GIF there 🙂 The salad looks fantastic!
Thank you, Mary! So kind of you <3
I haven’t watched that TV show, but it sounds highly entertaining! And although I have seen persimmons around our fruit & vege shop, I have never bought one or thought of how to use it – but this post has definitely inspired me to try it out next time! Love the sound of the maple vinaigrette too <3
Claudia x
PS (gorgeous giveaway, Beeta, wish I had a US address though haha!!).
Thank you, Claudia! The maple vinaigrette is divine – you must try! So sorry that you can’t join in on this giveaway, but I promise to gift my readers abroad soon as well! <3