Persimmon Salad

Bright and joyful, this refreshing Persimmon Salad is made with seasonal Fuyu Persimmons, butter lettuce, pomegranate seeds, and shaved fennel tossed in a cheery citrus dressing.

Why You’ll Love This Persimmon Salad Recipe

The delicious citrus dressing alone makes me happy every time I make it, infusing the kitchen with its bright and uplifting aroma. It’s the perfect salad to brighten up your winter table — and beautiful for holiday gatherings!

Citrus is an instant mood lifter — and just a little secret, persimmons and citrus love being paired together. It’s amazing what a little squeeze of lime juice does to Fuyu persimmons — completely transforming them, bringing out all their lovely tropical flavors and nuances. Give it a try. It wasn’t until I did that I began to appreciate this lovely fruit fully.

Persimmon Salad Ingredients

• Persimmon: Use ripe Fuyu persimmons for this salad.
• Fennel and red onion: Thinly sliced for crisp and sharp aromatic flavors.
• Lettuce: Butter lettuce adds mild and buttery flavor with a hint of sweetness.
• Pomegranate seeds: The perfect tart and tangy addition!
• Optional additions: Pistachios and crumbled goat cheese or feta add a little heartiness.
• Citrus dressing: Orange juice and zest, lime juice and zest, honey, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and finely chopped shallot.

What is The Difference between Fuyu and Hachiya Persimmons?

In this recipe, I’m using Fuyu Persimmons. If you are confused about the types of persimmons out there, read this!

1. Fuyu persimmons are distinguished by their flat bottoms and squat shape, and are at their best when just slightly soft. They will ripen after being picked, so allow them to sit on the kitchen counter for a couple of days until their flesh gives to the touch just a little. Fuyus are commonly eaten raw, often peeled (but not always) and sliced and added to salads or salsas. If thinly slicing, the skin is not too noticeable. This is up to you. Fuyus are also great roasted.
2. Hachiya persimmons are oval and elongated, like the shape of an acorn. They are mouth-puckeringly tart unless meltingly ripe. Unripe, they are full of tannins, almost like eating a very green banana skin, if you can imagine that. Totally inedible. But ripe hachiya persimmons are silky soft on the inside with a luscious jelly-like quality, perfect for scooping out with a spoon or in baking bread and cakes. Hachiya persimmons are not the ones you want for this salad.  But if wanting to experiment with them, let them soften on the counter until they are very tender to the touch, skin darkened and almost wrinkled. If they look perfect on the outside, it’s pretty safe to say they are still unripe.
   

How to Make Persimmon Salad

1. Make the citrus dressing. Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or shake it in a mason jar. Set aside.

2. Toss the lettuce with fennel and onion. Mix the lettuce, fennel, and onion in a large bowl with a little dressing (save some extra dressing for serving).

3. Arrange the salad. On a platter, lay out a bed of dressed greens. Scatter the slices of persimmon over top. Garnish with pomegranate seeds (and pistachios and goat cheese if using) and spoon a little more dressing on the persimmons. Finish with a little cracked pepper.

If you prefer to plate the salads individually, layer the slices of persimmon with pieces of dressed lettuce and fennel. Top with pomegranate arils.

I love how the centers look like a bright star!

Variations

To balance out traditionally heavy holiday dishes, I purposefully left out the cheese and nuts from this salad, but if feeling so inclined, roasted pistachios, pecans, or almonds could work well here. So would crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.

This salad is also very pretty served plated. Just layer the dressed lettuce between slices of persimmon. Finish with pomegranate seeds and orange zest.

Storage

If you plan to store any leftovers, avoid dressing the entire salad. Store the lettuce and persimmons separately from the dressing. If stored properly, the salad will keep for 1-2 days.

Serving Suggestions

This Persimmon Salad makes a lovely addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Or as a side dish or starter to any hearty winter meal. Here are some of our favorites!

• Rosemary Chicken Lasagna
• Vegetable Pot Pie
• Oven Brisket
• Roast Turkey
• Vegan Meatloaf
• Butternut Squash Risotto

Wherever this persimmon salad recipe finds you… I hope you have the happiest of holidays!

Love,

Sylvia

More Favorite Recipes!

Winter Happiness Salad

Brussels Sprout Salad

Farro Salad with Pear and Hazelnuts

Farro Tabbouleh Salad

Persimmon Salsa!

Shaved Fennel Salad

watch How to cut a Pomegranate

Print