Winter Citrus Salad with Red Endive, Avocado, Dates, and Olives
FROM OPEN KITCHEN
This salad is a symphony of flavors and textures, as any good salad should be. The dressing, which is almost a relish, has bits of salty olives and jammy sweet dates vying for your attention. Played against the slightly bitter and crunchy endive, juicy sweet-tart citrus, and creamy avocado, it truly sings, and is an absolutely perfect thing to brighten up the winter doldrums. I love the way red endive looks in this salad, but if you can’t find it, white Belgian endive will be fine. Place the endive (whether it is red or white) in a bowl of ice water for at least ten minutes before assembling the salad to crisp it up.
SERVES 4-6
2 blood oranges
1 Cara Cara orange
1 Minneola tangelo
2 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
½ cup pitted black oil-cured olives, finely chopped
1 small shallot, minced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon citrus juice (from the fruit)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 heads Belgian endive, preferably red, petals separated
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
¼ cup toasted walnuts
Flaky sea salt
Zest one of the blood oranges into a small bowl. Peel all of the citrus, removing all of the white pith. Cut some of the fruit into wheels and supreme the others (cut the sections of fruit out, leaving the membrane and pith behind). Remove any seeds. Set aside.
To the bowl with the zest, add the dates, olives, shallot, parsley, vinegar, oil, orange zest, and citrus juice and season with pepper.
Spread out the endive petals in a large, shallow serving bowl. Arrange the avocado over the endive and spread the citrus over the top. Spoon half of the date mixture over the top and sprinkle with the walnuts and some flaky salt and pepper. Serve the remaining date mixture on the side.
TIMING TIPS:
Up to 1 day ahead: Make the dressing; store in the fridge.
Up to a few hours before: Prep the citrus and endive; toast the walnuts.
At the last minute: Cut up the avocado and assemble the salad.
