2 fresh and fruity salad recipes

Looking for a lighter lunch? Or how about a more flavourful lunch? These fruit-based salads pack a mean nutritional punch.

Seafood and citrus make a good combination, but the combo becomes extraordinary when you pair crab with grapefruit. Mango chutney adds just the right amount of sweetness and spice.

Preparation time 15 minutes

Serves 4

• 4 grapefruits
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) mayonnaise
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped mango chutney
• 10 ml (2 tsp) Dijon mustard
• 5 ml (1 tsp) sesame oil
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
• 350 g (3/4 lb) lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage
• 500 ml (2 c) watercress, tough stems trimmed
• 1 Belgian endive, cut crosswise into 1 cm (1/2 in) strips
• 1 head Bibb lettuce, separated into leaves

1. Peel the grapefruits. Working over a large bowl, separate the grapefruit sections from the membranes, reserving any juice that ­collects in the bowl. Discard the membranes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chutney, mustard, oil, pepper, 45 millilitres (three tablespoons) of the reserved grapefruit juice and salt to taste.
3. Add the crabmeat, tossing to combine. Add the watercress, endive and grapefruit sections, and toss. Serve the salad on a bed of Bibb lettuce.

• Look for refrigerated lump crabmeat for the best flavour.
• If you can't find it, use cooked shrimp, lobster, scallops or good-size cubes of poached chicken breasts.
• You can also substitute oranges for the ­grapefruits, if you like.

Here's the perfect summertime pick-me-up. A juicy and refreshing combination of melons, strawberries, pears and starfruit ­drizzled with orange liqueur and topped with fresh mint. Extra crunch and a backdrop of savouriness come from a surprise ingredient: diced cucumber.

Preparation time 25 minutes 

Cooking time 3 minutes 

Serves 6

• 1 small cantaloupe, 500 g (1 lb), washed, halved and seeded
• 1 small honeydew melon, 500 g (1 lb), washed, halved and seeded
• 350 ml (1 1/2 c) ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 large pear, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) pieces
• 125 ml (1/2 c) diced cucumber
• 2 starfruits, cut in 0.5 cm (1/4 in) slices
• 90 ml (6 tbsp) Grand Marnier or brandy
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) shredded fresh mint

1. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, scoop out balls of melon into a large bowl. With a soup spoon, scoop out any remaining melon into the bowl, leaving smooth shells.
2. Add the strawberries, pear and cucumber to the bowl. Set aside four starfruit slices. Dice the remaining starfruit and add to the bowl.
3. Drizzle the Grand Marnier or brandy over the fruit, sprinkle with the mint and toss gently to mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. Pile the fruit mixture into the melon shells and decorate with the reserved slices of starfruit.

• To make this a more substantial luncheon salad, toss 1.5 kilograms (six cups) mesclun salad leaves, 500 grams (two cups) watercress, 125 grams (1/2 cup) chopped scallions, 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil and 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) orange juice in a large bowl.
• Arrange on six salad plates and spoon the fruit salad on top.
• Add a scoop of cottage cheese, drizzle with the Grand Marnier or sherry and sprinkle with the shredded fresh mint.