Have you ever had fruit salad with Miracle Whip? This Hong Kong Style Fruit Salad with Shrimps (大蝦沙律) is a great side dish for a party or picnic. Something sweet and fresh goes really well with savory food.
Have you ever tried Miracle Whip? If you never had it, it’s creamy like mayonnaise, but has a tanginess and a hint of savoriness at the end. In Hong Kong back in the days, Miracle Whip is mostly called “salad dressing”(沙律醬). Other salad dressings, or even mayonnaise were very uncommon. We mostly used Miracle Whip as a dipping sauce for some fried foods or mix with fruits, like this recipe.
I know that in the US, fruit salad using cool whip or mayonnaise are popular in some areas. Bryan tasted something like that when he was little. However, I have not found any fruit salad with Miracle Whip only so far. I would love to hear about it if your family uses miracle whip in your fruit salad.
To why Miracle Whip became an essential in everyone’s kitchen in Hong Kong during 90’s era, my guess is that it may have something to do with the western influence during British ruling. And probably Miracle Whip is very affordable. No matter how it happened, it sure was my childhood flavor. I do miss that every once a while.
This fruit salad recipe is mostly from my mom, except for the shrimp part. Whenever there is a birthday party, special occasion or Christmas dinner, this salad is usually on the menu. Kids love this. For the shrimp part, I added that because I remember we had something similar in Chinese restaurants a couple times. Their fruit salad is usually served as an appetizer and served with chilled shrimps.
This recipe is really easy. The only thing that needs a little attention are the shrimps. Cut them, devein, rinse and pat dried. Then cook them in boiling water that has been seasoned with salt. Once cooked, chill them in iced bath. Last, remove the shells and keep them cold in the fridge until ready to be used.
The fruits I used are grapes, apple and mangoes. My mom has used oranges, banana, and melon before. Some go better than others. It really depends on what you want. Cut the fruits into bite sizes, so they are easier to eat. I tossed the sturdier fruits with Miracle Whip first, then gently toss the softer fruits at the end. Keep the salad cover in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. It gives some time for the flavors to blend together. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
To serve, scoop fruits to a bowl or plate. Decorate with more Miracle Whip if desired. Top with chilled shrimps. Serve cold or cool. When you’re scooping the fruits, you may notice that some of the Miracle Whip has disappeared, and there is liquid at the bottom. That’s normal.
This fruit salad has a little bit of everything. It’s a little sweet and tangy, with nice crunch from the apples and grapes. Everything works surprisingly well with the sweet shrimps. Originally, Bryan was not enthusiastic about me making this salad. But after trying it, he said he actually likes it as long as I don’t put extra Miracle Whip on top at the end. He wasn’t a fan of the extra savoriness on his fruit salad. For me thought, that was the perfect flavor. This is a great dish for party. Something refreshing and sweet to go along with a savory meal! Remember to let me know if you try this.
Hong Kong Style Fruit Salad with Shrimps
Ingredients
- 6 – 9 large shell-on shrimps (16 – 20 counts)
- 1 cup seedless grapes (rinsed & pat dried)
- 1 large honey crisp apple (peeled & cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 2 medium ripe Ataulfo mangoes (aka champagne/honey/yellow mangoes) (removed peel & cut the flesh into ¾-inch cubes)
- ¼ cup Miracle Whip (plus more for plating)
- Salt
Instructions
- At least 2 hours before serving, prepare the shrimps. Do not remove the shells. Lay a shrimp on its side on a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to make a slit at the back of the shrimp through the shell. Remove the vein. Repeat with the rest of the shrimps. Rinse and pat dried with paper towels.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Also, prepare a medium bowl of iced water on the side. Once the water is boiling, season with salt generously. Add the shrimps. Cook just until the shrimps are bright pink and the flesh is white all the way through, about 1½ – 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimps to the iced water and chill for 2 minutes.
- Once the shrimps are cold, remove from iced water and remove the shells, except for the tail part if desired. Place in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- 45 minutes before serving, get all the fruit ready. For the grapes, if they are too big, cut into halves. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, grapes and Miracle Whip. Toss with a large spoon. Once mixed, add the mangoes and gently combine. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for about 20 – 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter or serving plates. Decorate with more Miracle Whip if desired. Top with cooked shrimps. Serve cold.
Notes
- For how many shrimps to get, it depends how many you will be serving. 3 shrimps are good for one person.
- Keeping the shell on the shrimps while cooking will give the shrimps more flavors.
- Pick any fruit you like. Some works better than others. Try to get fruit that don’t oxidize, like honeycrisps apple.
- After the fruits are tossed with Miracle Whip for a while, some of the Miracle Whip would disappear and blend with the fruit juice. It’s good for the flavors to blend together. Just don’t scoop the juice at the bottom when serving.
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