So, I think y’all know that I’m semi-obsessed with this fruit salad with mint sugar. But it’s nice to switch things up occasionally, and for the Fourth of July I wanted something without added sugar, since we were going to have dessert (and since fruit has natural sugar anyway).

What I think you’ll love about this fruit salad is that it’s really easy to put together, but still a little different than what you might normally see. And perfect for summer.

We have a pineapple corer, but you can just use a big knife to cut up your pineapple. But it really is a lot easier than it looks, I promise. There are several different methods, but there is a photo tutorial here and a video here if you need help.

Next, you need mangoes. They can be a bit of a challenge to cut and peel, too, because of their oddly-shaped pit. I usually just sort of cut pieces randomly and hope for the best, but it turns out there is an easier way, as demonstrated in this video.

Now, all you need is some watermelon (I had some already cut up in my fridge from the watermelon margaritas), a lime and some chile powder. Try to get some chile powder that’s just ground chiles, without any garlic or salt, if you can. You can also add strawberries and/or cantaloupe, but our strawberries were super tart and I hate cantaloupe. So we added neither. And, guess what? It was still really good. And colorful. I hope you like it.

Tropical fruit salad (serves 4 to 6, adapted from the Los Barrios Family Cookbook)
1 pineapple
4-5 mangoes
1 personal watermelon or 1/2 small normal watermelon
1 pint strawberries (optional)
1-2 limes
Chile powder (check the ingredient list to make sure it’s just ground chiles, with no garlic or salt)

Cut, peel and core the pineapple, then cut into roughly 1-inch pieces and place in a large serving bowl. Peel and pit the mangoes and cut into pieces about the same size as the pineapple pieces and add them to the bowl. Cut the watermelon into similarly sized cubes and add to the bowl.

If using strawberries, rinse them and cut the tops off, then cut them into quarters and add to the bowl of fruit.

Squeeze the lime(s) over the fruit and stir, then sprinkle some of the chile powder over the top. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with additional chile powder.