Persimmon Caprese Salad
18 Comments
Updated Jun 22, 2022
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Persimmon Caprese Salad is beautiful and easy to make. Sweet and flavorful fuyu persimmons take the spotlight in this healthy salad recipe. Just alternate slices of persimmons with mozzarella, add some fresh basil leaves, drizzle with balsamic reduction and sprinkle with pistachios.
A New Spin on Caprese Salad
After grabbing half a dozen persimmons at the market I had grand scheme plans to make persimmon cookies. But given all the sweets leading up to the holidays, I was a bit sugared out. So I stared at my persimmons daily for about a week, pondering what to make and thankfully, they ripened during this time.
As I’d recently made a batch of my balsamic reduction the first thing that jumped in my brain was caprese salad. But who makes caprese salad with persimmons, right? Well, I guarantee you soon will. Because this recipe is truly amazing.
Persimmons are sweet, firm but soft (similar in texture to an apple) and pair beautifully with the other flavors in this salad. And the best part of all – this persimmon caprese salad is super easy to whip up and presents beautifully. Need a gorgeous fall and winter salad? Here you go!
Two Types of Persimmons
If you’re not familiar with persimmons there are two types, fuyu and hachiya. Fuyu persimmons are the shorter, squatier variety that look like orange tomatoes and are often used in salads. Hachiya persimmons are the taller, narrower variety and are more often used in desserts.
Both types will likely be unripe when you purchase from the market, so do plan ahead a bit when you want to use persimmons. As I mentioned above, I purchased my fuyu persimmons a week before using in this recipe and just let them ripen in my pantry. They’ll still be firm to the touch, but will sweeten up a bit on the inside.
And you do want to use fuyu persimmons for this recipe. Hachiya go from unripe (overly bitter) to ripe (soft and pulpy). In other words, they don’t slice well and aren’t good for salads.
How to Make Persimmon Caprese Salad
Once your fuyu persimmons are ripe and you’ve made your balsamic reduction, this salad is a breeze to make.
Just slice up some persimmons along with a ball of mozzarella. Arrange the slices in a pretty pattern on your plate, add a few basil leaves, drizzle with the syrupy balsamic reduction and sprinkle with some chopped pistachios. Voila! A beautiful, delicious, Persimmon Caprese Salad that will definitely have you rethinking caprese salad as a summer-only salad.
For another persimmon recipe, make sure to check out my Spiced Persimmon Smoothie.
And if you’ve got leftover balsamic, you can whip up my Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad (depending on the season) or my Roasted Balsamic Chicken. And of course, there’s always the classic Caprese Salad, avocado caprese salad, and Caprese Skewers recipe. Enjoy!
Persimmon Caprese Salad
Description
Ingredients
- 4 Fuyu persimmons
- 8 oz balls of mozzarella
- 12 leaves of fresh basil
- 1 recipe Balsamic Reduction
- 1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Make the Balsamic Reduction by following those recipe instructions. Then, let it cool to room temperature.
- While your balsamic is cooling, slice your persimmons and mozzarella and arrange in a pattern on your plate. Add several fresh basil leaves to each plate.
- Drizzle the salad with the balsamic reduction and sprinkle with the pistachios.
Lisa’s Tips
- Remember that almost all persimmons are sold under-ripe. When you buy your fuyu persimmons, I’d recommend letting them ripen for several days before using in this recipe.
- The balsamic reduction can be made ahead of time and stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
Nutrition
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In the recipe above you said ” sprinkle with some chopped Persimmons.” I think you meant chopped pistachios. thank you. It’s a lovely recipe delicious too, thank you.
Oh gosh, just fixed that! Thanks for letting me know. And glad you enjoyed the recipe! :)
What a deliciously different twist to the caprese salad! I love this idea!
I love traditional caprese, but figured might as well switch things up – and it’s just as delish! Hope you enjoy it!
Everything about this is so beautiful. Do you happen to remember where you found these perfect ceramic dishes?
Thanks Jessi! Those plates are from Humble Ceramics. :)
Wow this looks and sounds wonderful! I don’t use persimmons anywhere near enough in my kitchen, but after seeing this, I may just do that! Stunning photography!
Thanks Anna! And to be honest, I never really used persimmons much until the last year as well. Now I’m hooked! You should definitely give this recipe a try. :)
This is a much more fun and interesting take on a normal caprese salad! Love the colours and presentation, too.
It’s always nice to switch things up, right? ;) Hope you enjoy it!
What a great way to put a twist on a caprese salad. This dish is certainly brightening up a cold and grey day.
Yes, it’s so fun to get creative with caprese. And it sure does brighten up a cold and grey day. :) x
I am definitely going to have to try this. I would never have thought to use persimmon in a caprese!
I hadn’t either until this very recipe. And now I’m obsessed with it. It’s delicious!
What a great idea for persimmons! Looks delicious and healthy :)
Thanks Natalie! Hope you enjoy it!
This looks delightful tasty. I haven’t tried persimmons before. What is the flavor like.
The fuyu persimmons are slightly sweet, but with the texture of an apple. You should definitely give this recipe a try!