Adapted from Saveur, this citrus salad is like eating a vacation somewhere warm and exotic. The bold flavors and bright colors wake up your senses, and somehow make a grey day feel extravagant. This recipe is best with a medium-bodied, balanced olive oil without too much pepper or grassiness. Cru di Cures from Lazio is just perfect.
You can make the relish a day or two beforehand, so long as you don’t add the nuts or the parsley until you’re ready to serve.
Ingredients
SERVES: 4 as an appetizer or side
TIME: 45 minutes
- Almonds or shelled pistachios, 40g / 1/4 cup
- Castelvetrano olives, 60g / 1/3 cup, coarsely sliced off their pits.
- Cru di Cures Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 Tbsp, plus more for drizzling
- Red Wine Vinegar, 2 Tbsp
- Shallot, 1 small, minced (about 1 Tbsp total)
- Peperoncini, 3/4 tsp, minced
- Black pepper, 1/4 tsp, freshly ground
- Assorted citrus fruits, 4-6 (such as oranges, blood oranges, and grapefruits)
- Fennel, 1/2 small or 1/4 large, very thinly sliced
- Italian parsley, 1/3 cup, coarsely chopped
- Salt Flower, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 160°C. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast for 5-6 minutes. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the bits of castelvetrano olives, 3 tbsps of the olive oil, shallot, red wine vinegar, peperoncini, and black pepper.
- Top and tail the citrus, then stand each fruit on one end and slice off the remaining peel. Cut the naked fruit into pinwheels, each about 1 cm / 1/3 inch thick. Remove and discard any seeds. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a wide platter and sprinkle with salt flower.
- Add a layer of the thin slices of fennel on top of the slices of citrus.
- Add the parsley and nuts to the olive mixture and stir gently to combine. Spoon evenly over the citrus slices, then drizzle generously with more olive oil.
- Serve the citrus salad at room temperature with a side of bread to mop up the juices.