Florida Ambrosia Salad

A refreshing tropical fruit salad featuring fresh coconut, citrus fruits, pineapple, kumquats, and pomegranate seeds. This classic Florida dish combines sweet and tangy flavors with fresh shaved coconut for a delightful taste of sunshine.

8 servings
1 hr

Ingredients

  • 1 whole coconut
  • 3 whole white pink grapefruits
  • 3 whole navel oranges
  • 1 whole pineapple
  • 1 pint kumquats
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • ½ cup unsweetened apple juice

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Preheat the oven to 400°F.

    5 min

  2. 2.

    Pierce the softest eye of the coconut with a metal skewer or small screwdriver and drain any liquid into a small bowl to sample-you should have about 1/2 cup liquid. (If the liquid tastes sweet, the coconut is fresh; if it tastes oily, the coconut is rancid and should be discarded.)

    5 min

  3. 3.

    Bake the coconut for 15 minutes then transfer to a folded towel on a work surface. Using the back of a knife or a cleaver, crack the shell open. Break the shell into large pieces and use a strong knife to carefully remove the flesh from the shell. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the brown skin then shave the coconut into thin strips-you should have about 4 cups shaved coconut. Reserve 2 cups for the ambrosia salad; wrap and freeze the remainder for another use. DO AHEAD: Coconut shavings can stored, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.

    30 min

  4. 4.

    Using a serrated knife, cut the peel off the grapefruits and oranges. Cut the fruit crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds then cut the rounds into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl; add the pineapple, kumquats, pomegranate seeds, 2 cups coconut shavings, 1/2 cup coconut juice, and the apple juice, and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled. DO AHEAD: Florida Ambrosia Salad can be prepared ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator up to 8 hours.

    20 min

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