Giant grapefruit? It's pummelo, and here's how to deal with it - recipes

Long appreciated by Asians, pummeloes now appear in many supermarkets during the winter. This round to pear-shaped citrus fruit looks like a large grapefruit but is sweeter, without bitterness; it's often firmer fleshed and less juicy than its more common relative.

Inside the smooth, golden yellow skin, the fruit is buried beneath a very thick layer of spongy white pith. Remove this layer, then peel away the thick membranes encasing each segment. The flesh may be pink or white, and its texture varies in different fruit. Sometimes it is so firm that the segments readily fall apart into separate juice sacs, or it may be almost as cohesive and juicy as a grapefruit.

Enjoy pummelo segments plain, on a fruit plate for breakfast or dessert, or in salads such as these.

Pummelo and Avocado Salad

1 large (about 10 oz.) firm-ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into lengthwise slices

1 small (about 1 1/2 lb.) pummelo, peeled and segmented (see pictures below)

1 lime, cut into wedges

Chili salt (recipe follows)

On 4 salad or dinner plates, arrange equal portions of the avocado and pummelo sections. Garnish each serving with lime wedges. To eat, squeeze lime over fruit and sprinkle to taste with chili salt. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving without chili salt: 131 cal; 2 g protein; 8.1 g fat; 16 g carbo.; 6.7 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Chili salt. Mix 2 teaspoons salt and teaspoon cayenne.

Per 1/8 teaspoon: al cal.; 0 g protein; 0 g fat; 0 g carbo.; 245 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Thai Pummelo and Shrimp Salad

3 tablespoons dry sweetened shredded or flaked coconut

1 tablespoon salad oil

2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large (about 2 1/2 lb.) pummelo, peeled and segmented (see pictures at left)

1/3 pound shelled cooked tiny shrimp

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

Tart-hot dressing (recipe follows)

Butter or green-leaf lettuce leaves, rinsed and crisped

1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped

Fresh cilantro (coriander) sprigs

In a 6- to 8-inch frying pan, stir coconut over low beat until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour out of pan and set aside. Add oil and garlic, and stir over medium heat just until garlic is golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, with your hands, gently pull pummelo segments apart to separate the tiny juice sacs firm, dry-textured fruit segments separate easily; if fruit does not do this readily, leave segments whole). Gently mix shredded pummelo (do not mix in whole segments; set aside), shrimp, shallots, and dressing.

Line 4 salad or dinner plates with lettuce. Spoon equal portions of shredded pummelo salad onto lettuce. (If using whole segments, lay equal portions of pummelo on lettuce; spoon shrimp mixture on fruit.) Garnish each salad equally with toasted coconut, garlic, peanuts, and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 241 cal.; 13 g protein; 10 g fat; 27 g carbo.; 137 mg sodium; 73 mg chol.

Tart-hot dressing. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam) or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed dried hot red chilies; stir until sugar dissolves.