Fruit salad might seem like a lazy person’s potluck dish of choice, but there’s no doubt it can be a refreshing, delicious and healthy treat. Fruit salad requires minimal effort and skill to prepare, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. With just a few simple tweaks, you can elevate your fruit salad to gourmet level. With so many delicious fruits in season right now, and more on the way, making an impressive fruit salad is a no-brainer.

Try these tips for making your best fruit salad ever!

Use fruit that’s in season

Local, seasonal fruit always tastes the best because it has ripened in an ideal fashion. Fruit that travels long distances doesn’t tend to taste as delicious because it’s picked in its unripe state to ensure it doesn’t go rotten before it reaches the store. In addition, it’s much more enjoyable to eat a salad composed of fruits that are equally ripe, rather than a combination of mushy and tough textures. Seasonal fruit is also more affordable! To find out what’s in season in your area, all you have to do is consult your friend Google. Generally speaking, fruits in season in the springtime (March through May) include:

• Apricots
• Honeydew melon
• Limes
• Mango
• Oranges
• Pineapple
• Strawberries

Use a uniform cutting strategy

It’s much easier to enjoy the beautifully melding flavors of a fruit salad when you cut the pieces of fruit into similar sizes. This gives you a better chance of enjoying a few different pieces of fruit in one bite. Huge chunks mixed with tiny bits won’t give you the same effect; you might as well just eat the fruit separately if you’re going to do that.

Make it colorful

As we have mentioned in a previous post, presentation is important (link to plating post). We eat with our eyes first and a dish that looks appetizing literally makes our mouths water and sets us up for better digestion. Make your fruit salad as colorful as you can by using the seasonal fruits available in your area.

Get nutty

Nuts can add interesting texture to your fruit salad, plus added protein and nutrition. Walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and almonds make great fruit salad toppers.

Citrus juice is your friend

A few squirts of fresh lemon or lime juice (and a little zest if you like) can elevate the flavor of your fruit salad much like your favorite dressing amps up a green salad. Citrus juice also prevents the fruit from turning brown.

Don’t be afraid to add fresh herbs

Fresh herbs can add a pleasing dimension of flavor to your fruit salad and impress guests too. Mint complements fruit like melons and berries, and basil tastes great alongside strawberries and apricots. Why not try making a vinaigrette using citrus juice and your herb of choice? Sweeten it with a little honey to balance it out.

Get inspired by a recipe

If you don’t know where to start, try these gourmet spring fruit salad recipes:

• Tangy Poppy Seed Fruit Salad
• Sweet and Tart Strawberry Salad
• Honey Lime Fruit Salad
• Spring Fruit Salad with Spicy Yogurt Sauce
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint and Hazelnuts

Do you have any gourmet fruit salad secrets? Share them in the comments or over on Twitter at @luvoinc.