Why this recipe works bring the sunny Mediterranean right to your dinner table with this colorful salad. In a reversal of what you might expect, we used sliced grapefruits and oranges as the base, topping them with the thinly sliced radicchio. To tame the bitterness of the grapefruit and prevent its ample juice from overwhelming the other components, we treated the grapefruit (and the oranges) with sugar and salt and let them sit for 15 minutes. Draining the seasoned fruit enabled us to preemptively remove the excess juice, and reserving some to use in the simple mustard and shallot vinaigrette for the greens helped to make the salad more cohesive. Salty smoked almonds added mellow richness, and chopped dates contributed sweetness. We prefer to use navel oranges, tangelos, or Cara Caras here.
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 red grapefruits
- 3 oranges
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small head radicchio (6 ounces), halved, cored, and sliced thin
- ⅔ cup chopped pitted dates
- ½ cup smoked almonds, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cut away peel and pith from grapefruits and oranges. Cut each fruit in half from pole to pole, then slice crosswise ¼ inch thick. Transfer to bowl, toss with sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Drain fruit in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons juice. Arrange fruit in even layer on serving platter and drizzle with oil. Whisk reserved citrus juice, shallot, and mustard together in medium bowl. Add radicchio, ⅓ cup dates, and ¼ cup almonds and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange radicchio mixture over fruit, leaving 1-inch border of fruit around edges. Sprinkle with remaining ⅓ cup dates and remaining ¼ cup almonds. Serve.
