Salads don’t have to be complicated.
Sometimes, in fact, the best salads are the simplest.
I know I’m guilty of overloading my salads. What will a little cheese hurt? Some nuts, some legumes, some olives, why not the whole kitchen sink?!
But if you’re able to exercise a little self-restraint, you might be surprised by the clean flavors of a simple salad.
The slightly bitter crunch of the lettuce, the zing and tastebud tickling tartness of fresh citrus, and the smooth and luscious texture of extra virgin olive oil. That’s all you really need!
Plus, simple salads are friendly to nearly any eater. They’re naturally gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, vegan, and vegetarian. Amazing!
This winter citrus salad highlights three delicious citrus fruits: lemon, orange, and grapefruit. The ultimate trifecta.
Lemon and grapefruit give the salad and dressing a nice tart zing, while the natural sweetness of orange balances it out. Rather than dousing the salad in oil, I let the citrus flavors shine. This dressing is heavy on the citrus zest and juice, and light on the oil. And you won’t even miss it!
This light and bright salad goes great with a heavier main dish, like Oven Roasted Pork, Creamy Potato Fennel Soup with Pancetta Croutons, or Seared Pork Chops with Mustard Pan Sauce.
Winter Citrus Salad
Serves 4
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Zest of 1/2 orange
- Juice of 1/2 orange
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 additional large navel orange
- 1 large ruby red grapefruit
- 8 oz mixed baby greens
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, orange zest and juice, dijon mustard, parsley, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside for now.
Next, segment the orange. Here’s how it’s done: Cut off the top and bottom of the orange to expose the flesh. Put one of the cut sides down on the cutting board, then use your knife to slice off the skin and pith off the orange. You’ll do this in sections, by slicing off one section of the skin/pith with your knife, from top to bottom of the orange, following the curve of the orange, then rotating the orange and continuing slicing off the skin until all that’s left is a beautiful skinless & pithless orange.
Next, grab a paring knife & carefully slice each segment of fruit out from it’s papery membranes. To do this, slide your knife between the left and right membranes, releasing the fruit segment in one piece. As you cut out each segment, place it in a bowl for later. Continue until all the segments are cut out of the orange. Discard the remaining membrane.
Repeat this process with the grapefruit. (If you’re confused/need a visual, here’s a great video from Serious Eats showing how to segment citrus!)
Divide the baby greens into 4 salad bowls, and divide the orange and grapefruit segments on top of each. Drizzle with salad dressing and enjoy.
