Fruity Berry Lychee Salad

This Fruity Berry Lychee Salad just ROCKS - a guaranteed hit every single time! Lychees, shiso mint and sesame add a fantastic exotic flare to what would otherwise be just a plain old boring fruit salad.

   

**Fruity Lychee Salad**

6# fresh strawberries - cut into quarters

4 cups raspberries - rinsed

4 cups blackberries -rinsed

4 (four) 10oz cans of lychees in syrup - chilled, reserve the liquid (syrup) of one can

4 ripe mangoes - cut into small cubes

4 limes -sliced into razor thin disks

1 bundle of fresh shiso leaves (fresh mint is great too!) - chopped into strips

black sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon or more

roasted white sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon or more

a big salad bowl!

optional: 2 bunches of fresh shiso leaves for garnish

optional: 2 large yellow flowers for garnish

(1) In a large salad bowl, add and toss the fruit in the following order (be careful not to damage the delicate berries): strawberries, mango, lychees, lime, raspberries, blackberries.

(2) Pour/drizzle the reserved lychee syrup over all the fruit.

(3) Generously sprinkle black sesame and roasted sesame seeds over the top.

(4) Garnish to the side - bunches of shiso and flowers (with the stems wet and covered/sealed in plastic wrap).

I hate confessing to using canned goods, but canned lychees are the way to go for this AWESOME fruit salad. There are so many brands to choose from! My little Max did a taste test and the winner is..."Aroy-D Lychee in Syrup" brand! In the below pic, it's the far right can. 

Using a can opener, empty four 10 oz cans of Aroy-D Lychees, reserving the liquid (the syrup) of 1 can. Transfer the lychees to a gallon size ziplock bag (or container) to chill in the freezer for 20 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator) while you prep everything else.

Ripe mangoes, YEAH! Cut the mango into cubes. (Score in a checkerboard pattern.....

.....and scoop out with a spoon.) Set aside.

Limes. Slice 4 juicy limes into razor thin disks. Set aside. You will later toss these lime disks into all the fruit and berries, rather than squeezing the lime for the juice. The lime circles will add another dimension of shape-color-texture garnish to the dish.

Rinse and pluck a bunch of shiso leaves....

...and chop into thin strips. Set aside. Fresh mint leaves are a perfect substitute.

Cut the strawberries into quarters (or if they are smaller, in halves) and rinse the blackberries and raspberries.

I was excited to use my humongous bamboo salad bowl! Now with all the mise en place in order, time to "toss." For this type of tossing, put on nonlatex gloves and use your hands, which are more manageable than tongs (which will damage and mush up all the fruit). Toss in batches, using the hefty resilient pieces first, like the strawberries....

...and mango.... 

....and the chilled lychees (directly from the freezer bag). Toss evenly careful to not bruise the strawberries too much!

Add the extra delicates now - sliced lime, chopped shiso, raspberries and blackberries.

Toss slowly with care. Drizzle the reserved lychee sweet syrup-liquid evenly over the salad.

Last, but not to be forgotten, sprinkle a generous amount of black sesame and roasted (white) sesame seeds for texture, subtle nutty flavor and look. Splash on the sesame right before serving. Fantastic cute specks like glitter!

Couldn't wait to garnish the fruity salad bowl. These gorgeous yellow flowers color-match the mango PERFECTLY. Wedge in 2 healthy bundles of fresh shiso leaves to the side of the bowl, shoving it deep under the fruit. Now, place the flowers. With its stems wet and carefully wrapped/sealed in saran wrap, arrange the 2 poofy yellow flowers between the shiso bunches. Pretty pretty!

Voila, fini. Dress up any buffet table. YUMMY!!!

The gazillion petals blooming forever...AHHHH, magnificent!!

Song of the moment... Young Forever by Jay-Z