Citrus Salad
SCRAPS #36: citrus season calls for an easy citrus salad
Citrus season is upon us, so today I’m sharing a delicious way to make the most of it. We have a beautiful array of citrus, from blood oranges to zesty grapefruit, sliced and salted for maximal flavor. The citrus platter gets drowned in a pleasantly sharp, ginger honey dressing emulsified with good-quality olive oil and the juice from the leftover citrus peels. We’ll wrap up the dish with a generous sprinkle of salty, creamy feta and crunchy pistachios for some extra color and texture. I’d serve this as an appetizer for a crowd with fresh, crusty bread and fun drinks, or as a side salad paired with roasted or fried fish and white wine. It’s a light, easy salad packed with so much flavor, it’s a guaranteed showstopper.
RECIPE
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Printable recipe here:
INGREDIENTS
2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.5 kg) citrus of choice, I used:
1 medium grapefruit
1 small pomelo
2 small navel oranges
3 medium cara cara oranges
5 small blood oranges
1 small knob of fresh ginger, about 2 teaspoons grated
3 tablespoons vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice
1 tablespoon honey, plus more to taste
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
A handful of crumbled feta
A handful of chopped pistachios
Flaky salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Peel each fruit using a sharp knife or a serrated knife, slicing the top and bottom of the fruit to make it more stable. Placing the knife blade in between the pith (white part) and pulp, cut around the peel, in downwards motions. You’re looking to get rid of the white part of the citrus, the pith, and the peel, so trim accordingly. Save the leftover citrus peels, we’ll be juicing them later for the dressing. Here’s a video that hopefully makes the process clearer:
Slice each peeled citrus into 3 to 5 slices, depending on their size.
Layer the citrus on a large serving plate. Using a light-colored plate or platter will bring out the colors of the citrus.
Sprinkle some flaky salt all over the citrus surface. This will bring out the flavors of the citrus and make them extra juicy. Set the plate aside.
For the dressing, juice the leftover peels in a small bowl. I was left with about 1 1/2 cups of juice. Measure 1/4 cup of juice and save the remaining juice for drinking. Add the vinegar, honey, a small pinch of salt to the bowl. Grate in the small knob of ginger using a microplane. Whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while constantly whisking to emulsify. Taste and season as needed, adjust the acidity or sweetness to preference.
Drizzle the dressing all over the citrus.
Sprinkle the crumbled feta and pistachios all over. Serve right away.
A BONUS RECIPE
TUNA AVOCADO CITRUS SALAD
I’m not here to pick favorites, but this second citrus salad may or may not be my preferred recipe out of the two. It was an impromptu appetizer I served on Shabbat a couple of weeks ago that was so tasty I promised myself I’ll develop a proper recipe for it.