Citrus Salad with Olives and Pomegranate Seeds
This fresh citrus salad has a mix of sweet, savory and tart flavors with grapefruit and orange segments, Kalamata olives, pomegranate seeds, almonds, fresh herbs and arugula all tossed in champagne vinaigrette.
We always eat for nourishment, but sometimes we look for food to take us to another place. Or at least help us think of a dream destination. With no tickets to a tropical island booked, I’ve been looking to sunny ingredients as a counterpoint to all the healthy and comforting veggie soups and stews I’ve been consuming to stay warm.
No fruit does that better during the gray days of winter than citrus. Bright in color and juicy in flavor, I am here for every variety of orange, lemon, grapefruit, clementine and more. That includes snacking and in salads. Oh, there is something so good about citrus with vinaigrette!
This grapefruit orange salad with kalamata olives and pomegranate seeds is the vacation destination I am currently fantasizing about just in a bowl or on a plate. And this is a multi-stop trip with Mediterranean and tropical produce.
Three Cheers for Citrus Salads!
It doesn’t matter the season, I love incorporating fruit into salads. That includes berries in the spring and stone fruit in the summer. Now here we are with citrus. It is definitely that combination of sweet and savory that I’m after. Then I also like to include nuts, fresh herbs and sometimes a bold cheese like blue, feta or goat. For this one, I keep it vegan and skip the cheese.
How To Cut Citrus Segments for a Salad
Supreme (pronounced su-prem) is the technique for removing the peel and white pith from citrus and cutting out the individual segments leaving behind the membrane and seeds. This part of any citrus salad take the most time, but once you get the hang of it, supreming an orange or even a grapefruit isn’t that tough. Here’s how to do it:
- Trim the bottom and top off the orange or grapefruit.
- Place a flat end on the cutting board. Then take a knife and follow the curve of the fruit slicing off the peel and pith. If you still see pith here and there, use a paring knife to remove it.
- Pick up the peeled fruit in your hand and carefully take your knife between the membranes to cut out the segments. Don’t worry if some fall apart. They don’t have to be perfect.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This is what you need for the salad:
- Grapefruit: Easy to find pink or ruby red grapefruit are my preference. They are tart and sweet.
- Oranges: I use both naval and blood oranges because naval oranges are a touch sweet and blood oranges are more tart. And yes, I love the colors! If you only have one type of orange that will work too.
- Olives: With their deep brown, almost purple-ish color, Kalamata olives are salty with a more fruity flavor. Make sure to use pitted olives.
- Pomegranate Seeds: Sweet, tart and juicy, you find these lovely bites throughout the salad.
- Scallions: Thinly sliced scallions are my go-to salad onion.
- Arugula: I wait to add the arugula until the final step, so the greens don’t wilt from the weight and juice of the citrus. Baby spinach is good substitute.
- Parsley: I stir chopped fresh parsley into the actual salad and the vinaigrette.
- Champagne Vinaigrette: For the herby vinaigrette, I whisk together minced garlic, whole grain mustard, parsley, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. If you don’t have champagne vinegar, use white wine vinegar instead.
How To Make A Citrus Salad
- Prep the grapefruit and oranges. Trim the top and bottom, slice off the peel and pith and cut out the fruit segments.
- Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl. That includes the grapefruit, oranges, olives, pomegranate seeds, scallions, almonds and parsley.
- Make the vinaigrette by stirring the garlic, whole grain mustard, parsley, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad tossing the grapefruit, oranges and the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir in the arugula right before serving.
Make-Ahead Tips
Unlike salads with a leafy green base, you can prep the citrus in advance. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the salad bowl, so you don’t end up with excess juice.
You can also make the dressing a few days in advance. Put it in a jar in the refrigerator. If the olive oil has turned solid stored in the chill of the fridge, let it sit out at room temperature or run the jar under warm water and shake it to re-liquify the dressing.
More Winter Salads
Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Pears
Mandarin Orange Kale Salad
Roasted Potato Brussels Sprout Salad
Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad
Orange Olive Salad
Citrus Salad with Olives and Pomegranate Seeds
Ingredients
- For salad
- 2 pink or ruby red grapefruits
- 2 navel oranges
- 2 blood oranges
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives about 6 ounces
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 cup baby arugula
- For vinaigrette
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- To prep the citrus, trim off the tops and bottoms. Then use a knife to remove the peel and pith following the curve of the fruit. Slice between the membranes to cut out the individual segments. Place the grapefruit and oranges in a large bowl.
- Stir the olives, pomegranate seeds, scallions, almonds and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley with the citrus segments.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, mustard, 2 tablespoons parsley, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad tossing the ingredients.
- Stir the arugula into the salad right before you are ready to serve it.
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