winter citrus salad
winter citrus salad
scale to any size! individual to party platter!
little gem lettuce
radishes
mixed citrus- orange, blood orange, grapefruit, kumquat, pomelo, lemon, lime, anything goes! make sure you also have:
one lime
extra virgin olive oil
coriander
salt and freshly ground pepper
tender herbs: chives, basil, cilantro, parsley, scallion— whatever you like!
toasted sunflower seeds or other crunchy bits
optional: cooked protein of choice. salmon, shrimp, chicken, steak, etc. Veg option: mix white beans with some of the dressing and scatter on top!
Place little gem leaves on your plate or platter. Prepare your citrus: slice off the top and bottom, and cut down the sides with a sharp knife, following the curve of the fruit. Remove any white pith. From here you can either cut citrus crosswise, into wheels, or cut supremes. For supremes, hold citrus in your hand over a bowl, use a sharp knife to cut each section out and let it drop into the bowl. When all sections (or “supremes”) are free, squeeze the “core” to get all those tasty juices into the bowl! I like a mix of slices and supremes for fun variation in shape and size, but you do you! Place the slices and/or supremes around the salad, atop the leaves. Set aside any citrus juice you may have collected while supreming, reserve. Slice your radish into circles and scatter over the citrus.
Make your dressing: zest a lime into a small bowl or jar. Juice the lime into your container. Add a tablespoon or two of the any citrus juice you may have from the supremes. Add a generous pinch or two of coriander; about a teaspoon. Add a good pinch of salt and a few healthy grinds of pepper. Add olive oil to roughly equal the volume of citrus juice. Whisk (or shake jar) briskly to emusify. Taste the dressing on a lettuce leaf: if it’s too sharp, add oil. If it’s too flat add salt or lime juice.
Drizzle dressing over the salad. Add any protein you like, tucking it around the citrus. Drizzle a bit more dressing, making sure to douse the protein. Scatter tender leaves and toasted sunflower seeds to the top. Finish with salt and papper. Serve right away!
