Spicy Prawn and Freaky Fruits Noodle Salad #FreakyFruitsFriday #MelissasProduce #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Melissa's Produce.
I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development,

but all opinions are honest and they are my own. This page may contain affiliate links.

Last Halloween I noticed that Melissa's Produce had a section on their website for 'Freaky Fruits.' I really wanted to have some of the other Festive Foodies to join me in an event this year featuring those unique fruits. So, I reached out to my contacts at Melissa's Produce to see if they would want to sponsor the event. And they did!

As the produce boxes started arriving, I realized that we had waaaaaaaay more produce than I could feature in just two Fridays in October. So, I decided that I would create some additional recipes and call it 'recipe testing.' The boys helped me brainstorm some ideas. You'll see most of these on the blog in the next month. But today is the group's first official posting day - #FreakyFruitsFriday, take one.

You can follow along with the hashtag #FreakyFruitsFriday. As a side note, my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf objects to the name. "They aren't freaky, Mom," he admonished me. "We eat them all the time. They're just fruits." He's right....but I explained that they are freaky to some people and we're going to try to inspire people to come to the freaky side. He chuckled at that. But first...

The Other #FreakyFruitsFriday Creations

• Blood Orange Whiskey Smash by Ellen at Family Around the Table
• Chayote and Cuitlacoche Enchiladas by Sue at Palatable Pastime
• Dragonfruit Acai Bowl by Anne at Simple and Savory
• Dragonfruit Sorbet by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Freaky Fruits Cocktail in a Horned Melon Cup by Heather at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Freaky Friday Muffins with Cherimoya by Terri at Our Good Life
• Passionfruit Frozen Custard (With Seeds) by Colleen at Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Passionfruit Lemon Loaf Cake by Amy at House of Nash Eats
• Spicy Prawn and Freaky Fruits Noodle Salad by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Tropical White Cake with Dragonfruit Buttercream by Carlee at Cooking with Carlee

Meet Today's Freaky Fruits

Dragonfruit

Dragonfruit grows on a vining cactus and has a vibrantly colored rind that houses a juicy flesh flecked with tiny, edible black seeds. The fruit is similar in texture to a cantaloupe or a kiwi; its flavor runs the gamut from sweet to tart to virtually non-existent. I prefer ones that are somewhere in between the first two. But, honestly, I haven't been able to figure out how to pick 'em. So, I usually just go for the color that I want on my plate.

The White Dragons are large with a creamy interior while the Red Dragons are also magenta on the outside, but a bright, deep pink on the inside. Note that the flavor is more intense when it's chilled. So, I usually slice or cube, then refrigerate before serving. 

Rambutan

Closely related to the lychee and longan fruits, the Rambutan has wiry hairs protruding from its husk. In fact, my boys have always just called them 'the hairy lychees.' Okay, that's not totally accurate, but I always knew what they wanted. The fruit gets its name from the Malaysian word for hair, "rambut." 

Like its relative, it has a juicy texture with an almost cloying sweetness. They remind me of fragrant, floral grapes.

Strawberry Papaya

Native to tropical regions, Strawberry Papayas have a lovely salmon-hued flesh that tastes like strawberries mixed with peaches. While it was tempting to just scoop out the seeds and eat the fruit with a spoon, I decided to incorporate it into a fresh, freaky fruits salsa.

Spicy Prawn and Freaky Fruits Noodle Salad

There were so many possibilities with all of these Freaky Fruits. But, as I usually do, I lean towards the savory and decided to make a simple noodle salad with spicy prawns, barely wilted greens, and a fresh, freaky fruits salsa. It was delicious.

Ingredients serves 4

Spicy Prawns

• 1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 T oil (I used canola)
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 to 2 T hot sauce, depends on your tastes
• 2 t toasted sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
• 1" knob fresh ginger, grated
• juice from 1 organic lime
• 1/4 C fresh cilantro

Freaky Fruits Salsa

• 1 dragonfruit, chilled and cubed (approximately 1 C)
• 1/2 strawberry papaya, cubed (approximately 1 C)
• 1/2 C diced tomatoes
• 3 to 4 rambutan, peeled, deseeded, and sliced into thin strips
• 1 t jalapeno, deseeded and finely diced 
• juice from 1 organic lime

Noodles

• 15 ounces dried rice noodles (I used Forbidden Rice noodles for the blackish purple color)
• 1 to 2 t toasted sesame oil
• 1/3 C rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 C soy sauce
• 1 T dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
• 1" knob fresh ginger, grated
• juice from 1 organic lime

For Serving

• blanched Asian greens (I used the tops of bok choy)
• more hot sauce, if needed
• more soy sauce, if needed

Procedure

Spicy Prawns

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic, ginger, and lime juice. Add in the prawns and stir to coat. Let stand for at least 10 minutes. Pour everything - prawns and  marinade into a hot skillet and cook until prawns are just opaque. Remove the prawns and keep simmering the sauce until thickened. Stir the prawn and sauce together again and let cool completely. Just before serving, toss the prawns with chopped cilantro.

Freaky Fruits Salsa
In a medium mixing bowl, toss all of the ingredients together. Let stand for at least 20 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to meld.

Noodles
Cook noodles according to package directions. In the meantime, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl. Once the noodles have cooked, drain them and add them to the dressing. Toss to coat completely.

For Serving

Assemble your bowls. Noodles on the bottom. Then arrange however you'd like. I did greens, salsa, and prawns in separate sections. But you can pile them all together. Offer more hot sauce and soy sauce for diners tastes. Enjoy!

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*Disclosure: I received product for free from the sponsor for recipe development, however, I have received no additional compensation for my post. My opinion is 100% my own and 100% accurate.