Hit These Types Of Fruits With A Dash Of Salt And Pepper For A Delicious New Experience
Perfectly fresh fruits usually merit no fussing with, but eating them plain day after day is a fast track to monotony and eventually taking them for granted. This is especially true for sweeter types that lack a tangy kick. To make your everyday berries, melons, and tropical fruits more exciting without detracting from their natural goodness, add a dash of salt and pepper.
It might sound odd, but this classic duo is one of the best ways to add more flavor to fresh fruits, transforming mellow cantaloupe, mangoes, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, and apples from softly pleasant to dynamic and addictive. This is because salt doesn't just make food taste salty; it intensifies the inherent taste of what it touches in certain respects. In small doses, it can make you perceive fruits as sweeter while reducing bitter notes. This is why salt tames the bitterness of grapefruit better than sugar. It also affects the taste of pineapple by reducing its acidity. Meanwhile, black pepper adds a subtle tongue-tingling kick to seriously wake up your taste buds.
While tart specimens like the aforementioned grapefruit can go well with salt and pepper, milder fruits benefit the most from the seasoning and will gently ease you into the experience. Simple cut them in half or into pieces to create plenty of surface area, then toss with a sprinkle of salt and freshly-cracked pepper, taste a piece, and add more if needed. You'll be shocked at how the natural flavors gain a whole new dimension.
Other seasonings to make salt-and-peppered fruit even better
After trying this trick and loving it, feel free to experiment with other seasonings to enhance your favorite fruits. For starters, get familiar with the many types of salt and use them to your advantage. Kosher salt and fleur de sel have a subtle yet delightful crunch that would pair well with crisp melons or soft bananas and papaya. Meanwhile, smoked salt would be totally delicious on peaches, which are a popular fruit to put on the grill.
Lovers of sweet and spicy flavors know that one of the absolute best ways to use Tajín is to sprinkle it on fresh-cut fruit. The famed mix of chili powder, lime, and salt is the perfect match for juicy tropical gems, and true spice-heads should try an extra touch of black pepper, which adds a different kind of heat to liven up the party even more. And don't ignore the herbs that might be sitting in your pantry or growing in your garden. Toss a pinch of basil with salt-and-peppered figs and apricots; add thyme to honeydew and pears; and use a little rosemary on ripe strawberries.
Lastly, while salt and pepper improve perfectly ripe fruits, they also work wonders on specimens that need help in the flavor department. Try the sugar and salt trick for more flavorful out-of-season fruit by sprinkling these two ingredients on top, then add a dash of pepper. Sour or watery-tasting fruits will go from "blah" to delish.