Easy Sharon Fruit (Persimmon) Salad Recipe

Our easy sharon fruit salad recipe is sweet, crunchy and slightly savoury. 

For the star ingredient in our recipe, we’re using Sharon fruit, a type of persimmon from the Middle East that is mildly sweet and crisp with no bitterness or acidity. The fruit gets its name from the Sharon Plain in Israel. However, you might be more familiar with the persimmon called Kaki in Japanese or Shi Zi in Chinese.

The taste of these types of persimmons is very similar, and you can use them interchangeably for our easy fruit salad recipe.

Jump to:

• Taste of Persimmon
• Sharon Fruit Ingredients
• Sharon Fruit Salad Recipe
• How To Eat Sharon Fruit
• Sweet Sharon Fruit Dessert Recipes
• Savoury Persimmon Recipes
• Other Fruits And Recipes To Try

Taste of Persimmon

Sharon fruit is sweet, but its taste and texture change as it matures. When young, Sharon fruit is sweet with a crisp texture. As it ripens, it becomes softer and takes on a more saccharine flavour.

Sharon Fruit Ingredients

For our Sharon fruit salad, here are the ingredients you’ll need.

• Sharon fruit
• Leafy greens
• Cream cheese
• Balsamic vinegar glaze
• Olive oil
• Nuts

As mentioned, you can use other types of persimmon from Japan or China to replace Sharon fruit, and the taste will be very similar.

We like to use spinach in our salad recipe for leafy greens, as it’s cheap and has a neutral taste. However, you can use basil or even rocket for a stronger flavour contrast.

Unlike other recipes, ours uses cream cheese instead of feta cheese. Soft cream cheese is sweeter, softer, and has more moisture than feta cheese, which gives each bite of our Sharon fruit salad a nicer texture.

Balsamic vinegar glaze will give you a lovely sweet and tart taste. However, if you don’t have this or prefer a lighter dressing base, mix 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. This combination works surprisingly well with the other components in our salad.

As for the nuts, we like to use crushed almonds or walnuts. Avoid salted nuts.

How To Eat Sharon Fruit

You can eat persimmons like any other fruit or use them in cooking. To eat one, follow these tips:

• Choose the suitable variety: Depending on the type, you can only eat a persimmon at a certain stage of ripeness. Non-astringent varieties can be eaten at any stage, while astringent varieties should only be eaten when ripe.
• Non-astringent types: You can eat non-astringent persimmons like an apple or tomato. You can bite into one or cut it up. These types will be firm to touch and work well in baking recipes and salads.  
• Astringent types: Once astringent persimmons are ripe, they will be soft to the touch and difficult to bite. Instead, cut them open and use the insides as a spread or in recipes that call for soft persimmons.

Sweet Sharon Fruit Dessert Recipes

Sharon fruits are sweet, making them the perfect addition to use in desserts. Here are some of our favourite ways to savour the tasty treat:

Persimmon Pudding

Pudding is one of the most common desserts to make with persimmons. It’s got a cakey texture and is perfect with ice and whipped cream. 

Persimmon Compote

Compote is a delicious way to enjoy persimmon. It only requires making a syrup, and you’ll have a tasty dessert in half an hour. 

Persimmon Pie

There are many recipes for persimmon pie that you’ll love. Many use a puree or the persimmon’s pulp, but others call for slices similar to an apple pie.

Baked Sharon Fruit

Baking persimmons is one of the easiest ways to enjoy them, and it’s easy.

Savoury Persimmon Recipes

You can also use Sharon fruit in savoury recipes. If you’d like to try it in a side or an entree, here are some other ways you can use a persimmon:

Fruit Salsa

The next time you’re in the mood for salsa, put down your mango and reach for a persimmon instead. It makes for the perfect sweet and spicy combination. 

Stuffed Persimmons

Persimmons can act as many other produce items. In this case, they act as peppers. Remove the insides and fill them with a grain and some veggies. 

Duck And Persimmons

There are many ways to incorporate persimmons into your duck recipes, and each one is better than the next. Try topping your duck breast with persimmon salsa or using them to make a glaze.

Roasted Persimmons

This is similar to baked persimmons; instead, you season with sea salt. They make the perfect side dish for poultry.

Other Fruits And Recipes To Try

If you like persimmons and want to try other new fruits, check out exotic purple fruits. These are excellent in nutrition and taste. Some examples include mangosteen, plums, prunes, purple barley, and more.

Otherwise, we also recommend learning more about the acai berry, which has taken the health and fitness industry by storm. Many fitness influencers and health food junkies rave about a variety of recipes using this superfood due to its various nutritional benefits.

Looking for other exotic fruits to learn more about? Check out our in-depth article on lychee vs. rambutan, where we discuss all you need to know about these two sweet fruits.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @honestfoodtalks for more easy Asian recipes.