Fresh Citrus Salad
Two types of greens, a few sweet and salty ingredients, and a beautiful citrus dressing, make this Fresh Citrus Salad a delight to serve and enjoy! This salad has a lovely balance of crunchy texture and sweet and salty flavor, with ingredients like peppery arugula, crisp spinach, caramelized shallots, honey roasted almonds, and our beautiful clementine based Citrus Vinaigrette (recipe coming soon). Crumbled feta cheese gives it a deliciously salty and creamy finish.
It’s a great salad to make when you are entertaining! Our Fresh Citrus Salad is quick to put together, taking only a few minutes to sauté the shallots. The shallots add an amazing layer of flavor, and combined with the sweet/savory taste of the dressing - this side dish is light, bright, yet satisfying as a side dish, light lunch, or add a protein to make it an entrée salad! Want to know all the ways you can Pimp Our Recipe? Read about it in our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe Updated: 3/29/22
FRESH CITRUS SALAD
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice shallot lengthwise and cut thin slices crosswise. Heat a 10 inch nonstick sauté pan on medium heat, and add olive oil (or avocado oil). Once the oil is heated and glistening, add the sliced shallots to the pan. Stirring periodically, sauté shallots until they are golden brown and caramelized. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- To a large salad bowl, add spinach, arugula, sautéed shallots, Sliced Honey Roasted Almonds, and 4 tablespoons Citrus Vinaigrette (or to taste), and toss until greens are fully coated. If using, add feta cheese (optional - see Note #1), and toss again. Taste for seasoning (see Note #2), and if needed, add Himalayan Pink Salt & ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately!
Notes
- For vegan or dairy-free version, simply replace the honey roasted almonds with sliced dry roasted almonds, and omit the feta cheese. It’s delicious without any cheese.
- Feta cheese is very salty, so wait to taste for seasoning until after the feta has been tossed in the salad.
- Serves 4 large servings, and up to 6 smaller side salad servings.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
170.36Fat (grams)
14.75Sat. Fat (grams)
3.14Carbs (grams)
6.99Fiber (grams)
1.97Net carbs
5.03Sugar (grams)
3.52Protein (grams)
4.08Sodium (milligrams)
360.91Cholesterol (grams)
12.25Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Feta cheese is included in the nutritional calculations above. If omitting this ingredient, nutritional values per serving would be approximately: CALORIES = 145.61, NET CARBS = 4.65, and SODIUM = 274.94.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Note: Feta cheese is optional in this recipe, so omit the feta for the vegan option.
STEP 1a
Slice 1 large shallot lengthwise and cut thin slices crosswise. Heat a 10 inch nonstick sauté pan on medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil).
STEP 1b
Once the oil is heated and glistening, add the sliced shallots to the pan. Stirring occasionally, sauté shallots until they are golden brown and caramelized. Remove from the pan and set aside.
STEP 2
To a large salad bowl, add 4 cups packed baby spinach, 4 cups packed baby arugula, sautéed shallot, 3 tablespoons sliced Trader Joe's honey roasted sliced almonds (see Note “a” below), and 4 tablespoons Citrus Vinaigrette (or to taste - recipe coming soon), and toss until greens are fully coated. Add ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional - see Note “a” below), and toss again. Taste for seasoning (see Note “b” below) and if needed, add Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Notes: a) For vegan or dairy-free version, simply replace the Trader Joe's honey roasted sliced almonds with sliced dry roasted almonds, and omit the feta cheese. It’s delicious without any cheese. b) Feta cheese is very salty, so wait to taste for seasoning until after the feta has been tossed in the salad.
SERVE!
Serve immediately, and garnish with a few almonds and crumbles of feta.
Note: For suggestions on how to make this an entrée salad, see “Make it a Meal” in the Pimp Our Recipe section in our Blog Comments & Tips below.
Blog Comments & Tips
Simple salad with unique flavors and textures!
Baby arugula and baby spinach are the base of this wonderful salad. We added unique ingredients to round out the sweet and savory flavors of this side dish. It’s citrusy, and perfectly balanced with great elements to make this a yummy salad that everyone will love. To top off this salad, we drizzled over our Citrus Vinaigrette (recipe coming soon).
Oranges or lemons are typically used in a citrus dressing. In true PMR form, we pimped it up and used a little lemon and clementine juice instead of oranges to give our Citrus Vinaigrette a unique and lovely flavor. We felt the dressing was enough to name it a citrus salad, but if you really want to add more, just drop in some clementine segments to add some more sweetness!
It’s hard to make salads stand apart without adding tons of ingredients and making it heavy. This light and delicious salad makes a great side dish, or first course to a lighter meal. Each element provides a different flavor and texture that all work together to provide the perfect bite. It’s not too heavy, so it makes a great accompaniment to a meal, but it has great flavor to make it interesting enough to make it a main course. Just check out the Pimp Our Recipe section below for ideas on how to convert this recipe.
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making a wonderful Fresh Citrus Salad:
Use fresh and organic greens, and high quality ingredients.
You can sauté the shallots in advance, but don’t assemble the salad until just before you are ready to serve.
Make your dressing in advance, and refrigerate. Bring it to room temp by removing it from the fridge about 30 minutes before you are ready to assemble your salad, and whisk (or shake) it well.
Tread lightly on the salt and pepper when seasoning your greens, as the dressing already has seasoning. Taste for seasoning after you add the feta cheese, as you don’t want to over salt your salad.
For another punch of flavor, make sure you use Trader Joe's honey roasted sliced almonds.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it More Citrusy: Peel and remove the segments from 2 clementines, and add them to the salad. This will add a fruity punch to the flavor and texture.
Make it Vegan and Dairy Free: Simply omit the feta cheese, and use sliced dry roasted almonds instead of Trader Joe's honey roasted sliced almonds. The remainder of the ingredients are not only vegan, dairy free, but they are also gluten free and keto!
Make it a Meal: This salad will serve four as an entrée salad with the addition of a protein.
Vegetarian/Vegan Options: Serve with marinated and grilled tempeh or tofu.
Omnivore Options: Grill citrus marinated salmon fillets or chicken breasts, then slice and serve on the salad. If you prefer meat, grill a marinated flank steak, slice on the bias, and serve on the salad.
Make it Family-friendly: Adding the segments of clementines will make this salad more kid friendly. The ingredients and flavors in the dressing and salad are mild, but flavorful, so they appeal to all ages.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to keep your greens cold and crisp in the fridge, and wait to assemble until just before serving.
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