How To Slice a Star Fruit

I have had a few questions about this one. My first experience with a star fruit was long and tedious and very silly. My impatience with removing the entire peel along with my confidence in the internet led me on the path to discovering that yes - there is a better way than the one I had tried.

First, make sure you get a ripe star fruit. It should be yellow with a brownish tint to the edges of the skin. It should also be about the size of a Roma tomato. (The one in this picture was about the size of a mango and it was very bland. The smaller ones are much tastier.) The brown edge is all that needs to be cut off as it's fibrous and hard to chew up. The yellow part of the skin chews up easily ... like an apple. So do the seeds ... don't worry about them. They are soft and chew up, too.

Run your knife up each edge of the fruit, shaving off the brown part from one end to the other. Then slice off each end and the rest is cake! Er ... fruit ... but you know what I mean! Simply slice the fruit about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick, depending on how you like it.

And VOILA! You have STAR FRUIT!

One more tidbit of wisdom: Don't be afraid to add a little something. Star fruit is not exactly loaded with flavor like a plum or a nice, red strawberry. Star fruit is a little tart and not extremely sweet. I don't buy this very often because it's not cheap, so when I do, I indulge the girls by covering the slices with a light sprinkle of sugar. By the time they eat their lunches, the fruit has marinated in its own sugars for several hours and it makes them pretty yummy! And if you sugar your star fruit, be sure to pack it in a covered container as it will be VERY JUICY by the time they get to it.

And that's my take on the exotic and super fun star fruit. Enjoy!