Plum, tomato, red onion, mint and coriander salad

Autumn

I think we can safely call this a fruit salad – although you might not want to serve it with scoops of ice cream. Plums are the principal fruit. Look out for ripe ones – they’ll be sweeter and far more juicy. Tomatoes, as you probably know, are also a fruit and pair unbelievably well with plums, so I’ve added lots of those too – again, look out for ripe heritage varieties if you can. Fresh red chilli – yes, another fruit – gives this salad a little heat and I like to add lots of coriander and mint at the end.

Serves 4

Ingredients

6–8 plums
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp unrefined caster sugar
400g (14oz) tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional)
1 small handful of mint, leaves picked and cut into fine ribbons
1 handful of coriander, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Use a sharp paring knife to halve the plums and remove the stones.
If they are stubborn, use the tip of the knife to tease them out. Slice the plum halves thinly.

Put the onion in a bowl with the oil, vinegar and sugar and season with a little salt and pepper. Tumble the onion around in the bowl. (The dressing ingredients will soften the onion and take away its harsh edge.) Add the tomatoes along with the plum slices, and the chilli (if using). Tumble everything together again and season once more with salt and pepper. Add the mint and coriander and turn again.

Divide the salad between four serving plates, or bring to the table on one large platter.

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