Colorful Recipe: Sicilian-Inspired Blood Orange Salad

Leela Cyd
Leela Cyd
Leela Cyd is a photographer and cookbook author. Her previous books include Food with Friends and Cooking Up Trouble. She lives in Santa Barbara with her husband and new baby son Izador Cosmo.
published Mar 20, 2012
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Credit: Leela Cyd

Serves4

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My parents visited Sicily last fall (lucky dogs!) and brought back a wonderful recipe to accompany any main dish at dinner. I’ve riffed on the combination of blood oranges, mint, and red onion and added my own spin. The results? Shockingly good in color and in flavor!

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

For me the perfect salad is crucial to any supper. The lighter notes can take center stage as the base of the meal or they can play in contrast to something heavier. I’m constantly searching for a slight variation in greens, fruits, nuts, and seeds. This blood orange salad takes all of my favorite ingredients and throws them into an unapologetic, vibrant dish that will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility. It’s almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

This recipe relies heavily on the quality of all the fresh ingredients, so be sure to have the freshest citrus, pistachios and a small bit of Sheep’s feta (or whatever soft cheese you prefer) to punctuate each bite. There’s nothing worse than finding your pistachios have gone soft from being in the cupboard too long (this has happened to me!). So be sure to start with the best of the best, and enjoy this salad!

(Image credit: Leela Cyd)
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Sicilian–Inspired Blood Orange Salad

Serves 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 3

    Cara Cara oranges, cut into segments

  • 6

    blood oranges, cut into segments

  • 1/4

    large red onion, cut as thinly as possible

  • 1 bunch

    of mint, julienned and a few leaves torn

  • 1/4 cup

    sheep's milk feta

For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup

    red wine vinegar

  • 1/4 cup

    olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon

    cumin seeds

  • 1/3 cup

    pistachios, lightly crushed

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Assemble all the citrus segments in a large bowl and mix in onions. Set aside.

  2. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil on medium–high. Add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds pop slightly and a lovely fragrance emits from the pan. Add vinegar to the pan and swirl to mix. Season with salt and pepper and toss all over the citrus. Mix in pistachios. When plating, add mint and pistachios to the tops of each portion.

Related: Gorgeous Recipe: Blood Orange Crostatas

(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)

Filed in:
dinner
italian
quick
Salad
Side Dish
winter