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You are here: Home / Recipes / Fruit / Plum, Serrano ham and mozzarella salad

Plum, Serrano ham and mozzarella salad

by Jeanne Horak on April 24, 2015 11 Comments in Fruit, Salads

PlumHamMozzarellaSaladTitle

Pop quiz:  what do the following terms all have in common:

  • plumcots
  • ligers
  • labradoodles
  • zebroids
  • limequats
  • wholfins
  • jostaberries

No, the answer isn’t that they are the winning words in the 2014 World Scrabble Championships.  Nor are they tie-breaker questions in the International Spelling Bee. Give up yet? They are in fact all examples of hybrid species – that is to say a plant or animal that is the offspring of parents from two different species.  So a plumcot is part plum, part apricot; a liger is the offspring of a lion and a tiger; labradoodles are the strangely harmonious marriage of labrador and poodle; zebroids are the offspring of zebras and any other equine species; limequats boast a slightly tempered tart flavour together with a soft sweet skin; wholfins are the rare offspring of bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales; and jostaberries bring together the best attributes of both gooseberries and blackcurrants.

Although most of these are rather esoteric, it seems that plums and apricots have the hots for each other: the produce aisle is practically awash with their hybrids! Depending on the degree and percentage of hybridisation, we find plumcots, apriums, apriplums, and pluots (even peacotums!). Natural plumcots/apriplums have been known for centuries but some others have been created by human intervention, either budding or cross-pollination.  Plumcots and apriplums are first-generation hybrids between a plum and an apricot (both members of the Prunus species); whereas pluots and apriums are later-generations.  Apriums show more apricot traits and flavour, whereas pluots show more plum characteristics and were only developed in the late 20th century.

 

FlavorKingPlums

 

One of the most popular varieties of pluots are Flavor Kings – glorious deep burgundy fruit that look to all intents and purposes like plums, with a deep red flesh and a super-sweet flavour described as  “fruit punch”.  They are well suited to milder climates, and are a popular choice for fruit growers in South Africa.  I was thrilled recently to receive a box of gorgeous South African stone fruit including some enormous nectarines and some of these burgundy Flavor King plums. The biggest problem I have with them is resisting the urge to gobble them up whole rather than making a dish that my husband also gets to enjoy 😉 I will admit that one of these ended up being wolfed down, but the other one went into one of the nicest salads that I’ve made in a while.  The intense sweetness of the plums pairs spectacularly well with the nutty, salty flavour of Spanish Serrano ham, and I always love the crunch that toasted pine nuts add.

I have written previously about why buying South African stone fruit is an ethical option so I won’t repeat all of that here, but in brief, South African stone fruit is in season when no European stone fruit is; 90% of the fruit is shipped rather than air-freighted; and buying South African fruit creates jobs in the deciduous fruit industry in South Africa which employs a third of a million people and where every farm worker has, on average, 4 dependents that rely on the fruit industry to provide education, housing, health and social care. Think of it as foreign aid, but with added deliciousness 🙂  South African stone fruit is available in all major UK supermarkets from November till April – catch them while you can!

If you love plums as much as I do, you might also want to try…

  • Michelle’s easy port & plum crumble
  • Sarah’s mini plum tarte tatins
  • Helen’s spiced pears and plums in port
  • Jen’s plum and nectarine frangipane tart
  • Jo’s Worcestershire plum cake
  • Emily’s spiced plum, apple & red wine crumble
  • Margot’s spiced plum filo baskets
  • Becca’s cinnamon plum porridge
  • Kellie’s upside-down plum and berry skillet cobbler

 

DISCLOSURE:  The Flavor King plums were free samples provided by South African Fruit but I was not required to write a positive review and received no remuneration to write this post.

 

 

Plum SaladFinal

 

5.0 from 5 reviews
Plum, Serrano ham and mozzarella salad
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
5 mins
Total time
15 mins
 
This sensationally simple salad combines the sweetness of Flavor King plums with the nutty saltiness of cured ham - a great starter of light meal.
Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: European
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 large ripe Flavor King plums (or use any sweet plums)
  • 1 large ball of Mozzarella cheese
  • 1 bag of baby rocket leaves
  • 6 slices of Serrano ham (or substitute cured ham of your choice)
  • a handful of pine nuts
  • balsamic vinegar
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a dry frying pan, gently toast the pine nuts over medium heat until they are beginning to turn golden brown.  Shake the pan frequently and keep an eve on them as they catch easily. Once they are done, set aside.
  2. Slice the plums into wedges and shred the mozzarella into bite-sized chunks.
  3. Divide the rocket leaves among two plates.  Top each plate with half the ham, plums and cheese.  Scatter the pine nuts over the top.
  4. Dress with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve with crusty bread.
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  1. Miss Gliss says

    April 24, 2015 at 10:12 am

    YUMMIIIIIEEEEE!!!

    xxx
    Claudia

    Reply
  2. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

    April 24, 2015 at 11:11 am

    Loving the sound of all these hybrid fruits!! Must try to get my hands on some!

    Reply
  3. Rosa says

    April 24, 2015 at 11:44 am

    I’d love to try those plumcots. An interesting hybrid fruit.

    Your salad looks beautiful and really appetizing! Such a great combination of flavours.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  4. Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.) says

    April 24, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Absolutely gorgeous Jeanne!

    Reply
  5. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    April 24, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    I never used to be a fan of fruit in my salad, but I love it now. This looks delicious.

    Reply
  6. Krista says

    April 25, 2015 at 12:20 am

    These plums have such a gorgeous color, Jeanne. No wonder you gobbled up so many. 🙂 And I really love this salad. So fresh and flavorsome. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jen says

    April 25, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    I had no idea there were so many different hybridisations of plums, really interesting Jeanne and thanks for linking to my tart recipes 🙂

    Reply
  8. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    April 27, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    What a beautiful recipe Jeanne, personally I would skip the ham but I love combination of flavours! I’m in love with those SA plums ever since I tried them on Valentines, sooo flavoursome 🙂

    Reply
  9. Jo Stevens says

    May 5, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    That’s one amazing recipe, Jeanne, simple, light and delicious! I just love the combination between the plum and the mozzarella – it’s like they were always meant to be together!

    Reply
  10. Kit says

    May 12, 2015 at 11:54 am

    I never even knew about the whole raft of apricot / plum hybrids. Either I’ve been walking the aisles of PicknPay blindfold or else they all get shipped the the UK! Will have to look out for them carefully next season or maybe visit Woolies to see if they make an appearance there

    Reply
  11. Christophe says

    May 18, 2015 at 9:46 am

    A luxury meal! It will be a prefect idea for summer lunch in the garden 🙂

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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