These gray winter days are starting to get to me. I even resorted to light therapy but then my light broke which seemed even more depressing. So, I’m turning to food (as I often do) for some color therapy. This citrus salad with honey vinaigrette adds some much needed brightness to the winter table. And how can you not look at those bursts of orange, pink, and ruby red and not smile a little.
Although the recipe calls specifically for navel oranges, blood oranges, and pink grapefruit, I think you could use almost any combination of your favorite citrus fruit. I highly recommend blood oranges if you can get them though. I forget how much I love blood oranges until they show up again at my favorite grocery store every winter. Then I cut into one and remember how gorgeous their jewel tone insides can be and how incredibly sweet they are. This citrus salad lets all those colors and flavors shine through.
You can decide if you want to cut the fruit into slices or segments. Slices are less work to prep and are prettier on the plate but I think they are harder to eat. Segments are easier to eat but definitely harder to cut. I do a little bit of both depending on what mood I’m in, how much time I have, and whether I’m serving this salad to my kids or not. My daughters don’t like to have any pith or membrane so, for them, I section all the fruit.
When you’re finished cutting your fruit, you should arrange all the citrus peels in some artful way. Just kidding. That part is totally optional but those peels sure are pretty and couldn’t we all use a little art/color therapy these days.
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PinIngredients
- 1 navel orange
- 2 blood oranges
- 1 pink grapefruit
- Sea salt flakes
- 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- To prepare the oranges and grapefruit, use a sharp knife and cut a thick slice off the tops and bottoms to expose the flesh. Working with 1 orange or grapefruit at a time, place it upright on a cutting board and cut off the peel and white pith in wide strips, following the curves of the sides. You can either slice the fruit crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices or segment the fruit into sections by holding the peeled fruit over a bowl and cutting between the membranes to release the segments.
- Arrange and layer the fruit slices or segments on 4 serving plates; sprinkle with salt. Top with red onion slices and sprinkle with chopped tarragon. Set aside.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the sherry vinegar, honey, lime or lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Drizzle dressing over the salads and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from the New York Times.
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