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Citrus and avocado salad with a bowl of dressing on the side
Carrie Beyer

Citrus and Avocado Salad

This perfectly light citrus salad is made with sweet Cara Cara oranges, tart grapefruit, creamy avocado, crunchy fennel with a citrus vinaigrette and fresh mint.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

For Salad
  • 4 large Cara Cara oranges (or 3 medium Navel oranges) segmented, about 1 3/4 cups
  • 1 large grapefruit segmented, about 1/2 cup
  • 2 large ripe avocados sliced
  • 1 cup thinly sliced fennel about 1/2 a bulb
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves
For Vinaigrette
  • 6 tbsp  extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tsp fresh squeezed grepefruit juice
  • 2 tsp minced shallot
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Method
 

For Salad
  1. Zest one orange with a microplane and place in a small bowl, reserve for dressing.
  2. Segment the orange and grapefruit following the detailed instructions above and place segments in a large bowl.
  3. Squeeze the remaining orange and grapefruit juices (in separate bowls) and reserve for dressing.
  4. Remove the fennel fronds of the fennel bulb and peel off the outer layer like an onion.
  5. Using the thinnest setting on a mandoline, or if using a knife, very thinly slice the fennel bulb.
  6. Peel and slice the avocados into 1/4 inch slices. 
  7. Pick 1/4 cup of mint leaves off the stems, about one large handful. 
  8. Neatly arrange the citrus segments, avocado and fennel on a large serving platter in a single layer. 
  9. Garnish with mint leaves. 
For Vinaigrette
  1. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp of the reserved orange juice and 3 tsp grapefruit juice.
  2. Mince 2 tsp shallot and place in the bowl with juices. 
  3. Place 1/2 tsp orange zest, reserved from earlier, in the bowl. 
  4. Stir all the ingredients together and slowly drizzle in 6 tbsp olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify the dressing. 
  5. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 4-6 grinds black pepper, taste and adjust if necessary.
  6. Spoon dressing over salad just before serving.