This winter citrus salad with honey dressing is more than just a side dish; it's a plate of sunshine. It's perfect enough for serving in a holiday dinner party and simple enough to brighten up a Tuesday lunch.
The Ultimate Winter Citrus
When the sky starts turning greyish and the air around you turns crisp and chilly, nature gives all of us a little gift: “citrus season.” While most produce is dormant, oranges, grapefruits and blood oranges are at their peak bursting with juice, appealing appearance and ofcourse, that essential hit of Vitamin C.
Why This Salad Is Helpful
The beauty and the real taste of this dish lies in how perfectly you balance the flavors. When you start crunching the fruits inside your mouth, you will feel the sharp tartness of grapefruit, the mellow sweetness of oranges and the complex berry-like notes of blood oranges. Once you decorate the salad with a drizzle of floral honey and those earthy crunch of roasted nuts, ultimately having a dish that hits every single taste bud.
What You'll Need
To get that“wow” factor in your salad, you can try mixing a couple of citrus fruits. Search for blood oranges for their deep crimson color, cara cara oranges for their pinkish hue and grapefruit for a bit of an edge.
Apart from the fruits, you can take a handful of fresh mint leaves, a scoop of pomegranate seeds and some toasted pistachios for a crunch. For the dressing, keep it extremely simple by using high quality extra virgin olive oil, raw honey, a squeeze of lime and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Step By Step Preparation
Prepare the citrus fruits and assemble them together
The secret to making a beautiful and a delicious salad is making the fruit “supreme.” Cut off the top and bottom of each orange and grapefruit, then slice away the peel and white pith following the curve of the fruit. Slice the orange into beautiful rounds or segments as per your choice, ensuring no bitter white pith remains.
Whisk the dressing
In a small jar or a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey and lime juice. If your honey is a bit thick in consistency, you can warm it for a few seconds so that it blends smoothly. Add a pinch of sea salt to balance the sweetness.
Assemble The Mosaic
Arrange the citrus slices on a large platter, overlapping them slightly to create a vibrant mosaic. One secret formula to keep in mind while preparing this salad is the more colorful the salad looks, the better it looks!
The Finishing Touch
Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios over the fruit. Just before you serve, drizzle the honey dressing over everything and garnish with torn mint leaves.
Pro-Tip For Success
Serve Chilled: This salad is best served cold. Keep your fruits in the fridge until you are all set to slice and serve.
Twist The Taste: If you want to turn this into a more substantial starter, add some creamy goat cheese. The saltiness of the cheese is incredible against the honey and citrus.
The Herb Add-ons: If you aren't a fan of mint, fresh basil or even a little bit of tarragon can offer a sophisticated and a unique twist.
A Citrus salad is that kind of delicious salad that looks like a "work of art" and tastes like a "tropical escape" in the middle of January. It's fresh, light and the perfect alternative to a heavy winter meal.
