A vibrant salad perfect for the winter months featuring sweet oranges, bitter greens and buttery walnuts. A tangy maple dressing to bring it all together.
Happy New Year, friends!
After a whirlwind trip to Montreal over the holidays, I found myself back at the Brewery Market here in Halifax on a crisp and cold Saturday morning. It’s a cozy, casual and friendly space, and it was oddly calming to stroll through after the bustle of the big city.
I’m fortunate to have access to fresh, locally grown food, even in winter, and I was craving vegetables after the excess of vacation eating. I chose pink radicchio, tender parsley, crunchy watermelon radishes and peppery daikon – all which inspired this salad.
Citrus and radicchio is one salad combination you should have on rotation through the winter months. The sweetness from the oranges perfectly complements the bitter salad leaves. Read on for my recipe and practical variations.
Winter Citrus Fennel Salad Formula
As I share in How to Make a Winter Salad with Seasonal Ingredients, I prefer to give you a formula to follow for building recipes because it helps you use up what you have on hand AND customize the salad.
Waste less food AND create your dream salad? Win/Win! Here’s the formula, and keep in mind we’re looking for pops of flavour with saltiness, sweetness, brightness and bitterness for balance.
1 Citrus
Blood oranges, grapefruit, pomelo, clementine, oranges.
1 Bitter Green
Radicchio, endive, chicory, frisée, mustard greens. I love the pink radicchio ‘Rosa’ which my farmer grows here in Nova Scotia and keep it around for my Italian Chopped Salad.
1 Crunchy Vegetable
Fennel, radish, carrot, daikon, kohlrabi, celery.
1 Fresh Herb
Dill, parsley, chives, tarragon, cilantro.
Bonus: 1 Cheese
Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese, crumbled feta, blue cheese or chevre.
Bonus 2: Nuts and Seeds
Sprinkle on pepitas, pine nuts, smoked almonds, toasted walnuts or your favourite combination.
Citrus & Radicchio Salad Recipe Notes:
Food Prep:
Cut the oranges any way you like. I enjoy segmenting them, but proceed with whatever is easiest for you. All the ingredients can be prepped in advance and assembled just before serving.
Special Diets:
I chose to leave this salad vegan, but definitely crumble some blue cheese or feta over the top to elevate it into a truly special dish!
Make it a main dish by adding cold shredded poached chicken or a cup of cooked lentils.
Serving the Salad:
I took time to style the salad all pretty, but honestly don’t worry about it! All the ingredients just need to get on the plate. You could even toss it in a big bowl and serve it onto individual plates.
And for a salad on the go, layer everything into a big jar with the vinaigrette on the bottom. It will keep for several days in the fridge.
- 3 cups torn radicchio leaves or other bitter greens
- 1 orange segmented
- 1 cup radishes or crunchy vegetable
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces toasted
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves only
- 1/4 cup Maple Sumac Vinaigrette recipe below
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Arange radicchio leaves and oranges together on a platter. Thinly slice the radishes or crunchy raw vegetables and add to the salad.
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Sprinkled the walnuts and parsley on top of the salad. At this point, the salad can hold for a few hours if needed, covered with a tea towel and refrigerated.
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To Serve: shake up with vinaigrette and drizzle generously over the salad. Enjoy immediately. See full blog post for suggested additional toppings such as cheese, seeds or protein.
I love the speckled Radicchio di Rigona or the blush pink ‘Rosa’; Castelfranko is another favourite. My farmer grows it all. You’ll likely find ‘Chioggia’ in grocery stores. Look for the other varieties in specialty Italian grocers.
Maple Sumac Vinaigrette
Fruity and sour sumac marries beautifully with pure maple syrup in this simple, stir together salad dressing. A generous seasoning of freshly ground black pepper brings the heat and a touch of Dijon smooths it all out.
I love the ground sumac from Turkey, with wild Quebec sumac a close second. If you don’t have sumac, a teaspoon of poppyseeds would be great in the dressing. I just love them paired with oranges.
- 1/2 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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In a small jar combine garlic, maple syrup, vinegar, Dijon and seasonings. Cover with a lid and shake well.
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Add the olive oil to the jar. Cover, and shake again, then reserve until ready to use.
Recipe makes enough for two large salads.
Alternate Salad Dressing Recipes
Dressings can be made with a base made of yogurt, mayonnaise, sour cream…but for this type of salad I prefer a vinaigrette, with a good balance of oil and acid. Here are a few more to try: