winter citrus salad

This winter citrus salad is delicate, juicy, and so fresh. Toss citrus segments with shaved fennel, parmesan, roasted almonds, and mint for a simple but stunning salad.

why I love it:

Citrus salads are so refreshing. In the winter months, especially, I love and crave the zestiness of this salad. It’s mostly juicy oranges, a handful of tempering grapefruit, and plenty of shaved fennel for crunch. The parmesan might seem odd, but the deep savory note and salty punch are a great foil for all the juicy orange sweetness.

I add the tiniest bit of minced shallot, tamed in vinegar for a few minutes, to add an elegant edge to the flavors and tell everyone this is a salad. Not a fruit platter.

Keep it small, though: too much onion is too much onion. We want to keep the delicacy, sweetness, and bright citrus front and center. 

Make sure to save your fennel fronds, too! They bring a ton of intense anise flavor that plays up the raw fennel. 

Best of all, use whatever winter citrus you can find.

Blood oranges are stunning here, and I love to include them with a mix of ruby grapefruit, pink-hued Cara Cara, and some reliably juicy Navel oranges. Pick one or two of each type at the store, and you’ll be rewarded with the prettiest and most flavorful winter citrus salad!

winter citrus salad ingredients:

how to make this citrus salad recipe:

1. Toss the shallot in vinegar.
2. Slice the fennel and toss in vinegar.
3. Supreme the citrus fruit and add to the fennel.
4. Toss in olive oil, almonds, parmesan, and fennel fronds.
5. Transfer to a platter and scatter with fresh mint.
6. Enjoy!

Tip: fennel starts to brown when it's cut. To keep it pretty, we slice the fennel first and toss it in the vinegar with the shallot. The shallot gets pickled, the fennel stays white, and then we have plenty of time to supreme the oranges.

what is supreming an orange?

Supreming an orange is a culinary term that describes how to produce just the segment of a citrus fruit, without any pith, membranes, or seeds. It means you slice off all of the pith and then carefully remove each segment of the fruit, leaving the tough membranes behind.

This technique is time-consuming but so rewarding! 

You’re left with the most delicate and juicy segments of oranges and grapefruits.

Once you get the hang of it, the process can be therapeutic. It always reminds me of slicing delicate pieces of sushi. Tender, juicy, and worth it.

Note: To save time in this salad, you can peel the fruit and slice the citrus crosswise into rounds. But the difference in textures is huge. Take your citrus salad to the next level, and put in the time to supreme the fruit!

how to supreme your oranges:

1. Slice the tops and bottoms of the citrus fruit. This gives you a flat edge to place the fruit on and a starting place, at the top, for your knife. 
2. Then cut off the peel. Start at the top and slice down, following the contour of the fruit, to remove a strip of peel and pith. Rotate the citrus and slice off another strip. Continue until all of the peel is gone.
3. Inspect the fruit and use a sharp paring knife to cut off any bits of white pith. Be as OCD as you want: the more careful you are, the better the quality of your salad. It’ll be good, but do you want it to be excellent?
4. Then hold the citrus in your non-dominate hand and use the paring knife to cut out each segment. Do this by slicing just inside two adjacent membranes, towards the core of the fruit, until the piece is released. Repeat with all the segments.
5. Squeeze out the juice from the mass of membranes (there’s always a lot in there!) and drink it or save it for a dressing, marinade, or cocktail.
6. Repeat with all the citrus!

make this citrus salad your own!

Here are some great add-ins to beef up this salad:

• Toss in 1 avocado, halved and sliced
• Toss in 4 oz grilled or pan-fried halloumi, sliced into strips
• Tear 1 ball of burrata over the top
• Plate over 5 oz baby arugula
• Toss with 2 cups of kale ribbons (use flat-leaf kale, if possible)
• Swap in toasted pine nuts or pistachios

more citrus salad recipes:

kale, quinoa, and orange salad

radicchio salad with oranges

raw beet salad with citrus vinaigrette

Sicilian citrus salad

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