A Citrus Salad to Brighten Up Even the Gloomiest Days

Salad shouldn't be an obligation or an afterthought -- and it doesn't always have to be kale, either. Every other Thursday, Elizabeth Stark from Brooklyn Supper will help you make salads you actually want to eat.

Today: Fight the winter blues by making a creamy and spicy salad filled with colorful citrus. 

January calls for a mess of citrus. Once the full-fledged melancholy sets in -- and I'm fairly certain it already has -- I go hunting for winter fruit. Hunting may be a bit of an exaggeration -- one could also call it "grocery shopping." Even so, I like to approach my citrus-gathering trips with a bit of adventure, and I often find I've acquired more fruit than my counter can reasonably accommodate.

More: Skip the grocery store and hunt for all of your winter citrus online.

Afterwards, I get into the kitchen and figure out what to do. My most recent haul -- Ruby Red grapefruit and Cara Cara oranges -- called for toasting up fragrant spices and grinding them by hand. I minced bunches of cilantro and dill and tossed the herbs with shaved fennel and celery. Last up was the messy business of supreming all that grapefruit. Once the work was done, I positioned myself over the sink and scraped the delicious pulp from each peel with my teeth. (Perfect citrus segments are great and all, but this is the real pleasure of taking a knife to grapefruit.)

This pretty citrus salad with jewel-toned grapefruit and Cara Cara oranges might not be enough to completely undo winter's grays, but I promise it will help. Creamy and spicy, with all kinds of fragrant additions, this winter salad is a delight, no matter how cold it is outside.

Citrus Salad with Shaved Fennel, Celery, and Cilantro-Yogurt Dressing

Serves 4 to 6

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon Ruby Red grapefruit zest, plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 pinch chile powder
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced dill
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the salad:

1 bulb fennel
6 stalks celery
1/2 shallot
Sea salt, to taste
2 Ruby Red grapefruit
2 Cara Cara oranges
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 pinch of coriander and cumin mixture
Black pepper

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Elizabeth Stark