Peel the dragon fruit: cut in half and scoop or dice the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes until you have about 1 cup. Place the cubes in a small bowl and refrigerate until assembly.

Peel mandarins and separate into segments. Remove any membranes if desired to keep segments tender. Pat dry on paper towel to remove excess juice.

Use a vegetable peeler to shave the cucumber into long ribbons. If ribbons are wide, roll them up and slice once or twice to create manageable lengths. Place in bowl with dragon fruit to keep cool.

Peel pearl onions (blanch 30–60 seconds in boiling water then plunge into ice bath to slip skins if needed). Halve each onion and pat dry.

Tear basil leaves into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Make Lychee Vinaigrette

Combine and Emulsify

In a small jar or bowl, combine lychee juice or purée (3 tbsp), white wine vinegar (1 tbsp), lime juice (1 tsp), honey (1 tsp) and Dijon mustard (1/2 tsp). Add the finely minced shallot if using.

Slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil (3 tbsp) until the dressing is emulsified and slightly thickened. Alternatively, shake vigorously in a sealed jar for 30 seconds.

Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Adjust sweetness or acidity by adding a little more honey or lime juice if desired. Chill until ready to use.

Assemble Salad

Just before serving, add the chilled dragon fruit, mandarin segments, cucumber ribbons and pearl onion halves to the bowl with the mesclun greens. Toss gently to combine, being careful not to bruise the dragon fruit.

Drizzle about two-thirds of the lychee vinaigrette over the salad (reserve the remainder for guests to add more). Toss gently and taste — add more dressing if needed.

Scatter crumbled Greek feta evenly over the tossed salad.

Sprinkle the toasted sliced almonds or chopped pistachios and torn basil leaves on top for texture and aroma.

Finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.