Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella and sweet, tart plums pair together so well in this seasonal Caprese salad recipe. It's my 'plum crazy' fresh take on everyone's favorite Italian Caprese Salad, especially when tomatoes aren't in season!
It's the perfect solution to making Caprese Salad during the winter in the tomato offseason. (You won't even miss them!). Best part - it takes just five minutes to make. I call this my Plum Crazy Caprese Salad!
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What is Caprese Salad?
Caprese salad (photographed above) comes from Italy and is often served layered with slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella (or "fior di latte" a cow's milk mozzarella) and seasonal tomatoes. It's drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and topped with a few (usually very large) fresh basil leaves.
You can read more about in my Caprese Salad post here.
Why You'll Love This Unique Fruit Caprese Salad With Plums
- Seasonal plums give a tart, sweet balance to the creamy mozzarella (especially even creamier buffalo mozzarella), much like tomatoes
- Plums are a great substitute for tomatoes when tomatoes are not in season
- It takes 5 minutes to make
- It's delicious
The first time I ate Caprese salad in Italy, it was one of the best-tasting and simplest things I'd ever eaten. It was layered with slices of sweet, perfectly vine-ripened tomatoes, creamy, fresh slices of buffalo mozzarella, drizzled with a healthy glug of olive oil, and topped with fresh basil and flaky, crispy sea salt you could feel when you bit down on it.
Cue the 'heavens opening up' music. It was ethereally delicious, simple, and high-quality - the essence of Italian cuisine. I've eaten a lot of Caprese salads since then, but we mostly enjoy them at home nowadays because they're so easy to make and fun to try in different ways, like substituting plums instead of tomatoes😉!
Plum Caprese Salad Ingredients
- red plums
- yellow plums
- fresh buffalo or cow's milk mozzarella
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh basil leaves
- sea salt
How to Make a Plum Crazy Caprese Salad
- Arrange slices of plum and mozzarella on a platter, alternating slices, add a few leaves of fresh basil to the tops, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy as a light lunch, an appetizer, or for aperitvo.
Looking for More Salad Recipes?
Below are a few easy, wholesome salad recipes you may also enjoy.
Even Italian Vending Machines Carry Ingredients for Caprese Salad!
We have a local "Latteria" store in our neighborhood. This is one of several local milk and dairy producers here, and they have a brick-and-mortar store down the street from us.
Just outside of the shop, they have a built-in vending machine filled with fresh mozzarella balls, ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago DOP, mascarpone, butter, milk, yogurt, a few fresh tramezzini (sandwiches), some sweet desserts, and more. So, even if we're low on groceries, a Caprese salad is never really far out of reach.
FAQ's
- What ingredients are in a Plum Caprese Salad? Fresh mozzarella, fresh plums, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, and sea salt.
- When do you eat a Plum Caprese Salad? You can eat a Caprese Salad any time of day, but in Italy, it's not usually eaten as a side, but rather as an antipasto (appetizer), or as a light full meal on its own.
- Is Plum Caprese Salad served cold or at room temperature? Plum Caprese is typically served chilled and allowed to come up to room temperature as you eat it.
- Is Plum Caprese Salad Healthy? Yes, Plum Caprese Salad is healthy as it only contains about 247 calories per 100g (3.5 ounce) ball of mozzarella, 60 calories for every ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, throw a few more calories for a plum or two and that's a really healthy lunch or dinner.
Let's get started!
📖 Recipe
'Plum Crazy' Caprese Salad (a Fresh Take on an Italian Classic)
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Caprese salad switches out tomatoes for seasonal plums and it couldn't be more delicious and it takes less than five minutes to make. Sweet, tart, acidic seasonal plums, layered with creamy fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and a little sea salt make the perfect stand-in when tomatoes are out of season.
Ingredients
- 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, strained and evenly sliced
- ½ yellow plum, sliced thin
- ½ purple plum, sliced thin
- fresh basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt to taste
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Arrange slices of plum and mozzarella on a platter alternating slices, add a few leaves of fresh basil to the tops, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy as a light lunch, an appetizer, or for aperitvo.
Notes
- Use the best seasonal plums you can find that offer a bit of sweetness, but plenty of acidity much like tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Slice & Plate
- Cuisine: Italian
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