American

Avocado, Grapefruit and Oranges Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

February  7, 2019
4.3
3 Ratings
Photo by Ed Anderson
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 minute
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

The combination of avocado and citrus isn’t particularly novel, but that doesn’t keep it from being welcome in the winter. Though the salad is dead simple to make, its success relies on a nice assortment of citrus. You want a combination of sweet and tart varieties; beyond that, the specifics are unimportant. Choose avocados that yield to slight pressure at the stem end; if you’re unsure about their ripeness (selecting ripe avocados is not a strength of mine), buy one or two more than you need as an insurance policy.

Cutting the avocados and citrus into different shapes isn’t essential, but it does prevent the salad from looking too flat on the plate. (God is in the details! Or so they say.) If you can find Meyer lemons, use their juice in the vinaigrette. —Jessica Battilana

Test Kitchen Notes

Excerpted from Repertoire. Copyright © 2018 by Jessica Battilana. Used with permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York. All rights reserved. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 small shallot, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 avocados, halved and pitted
  • 1 large navel or Cara Cara orange
  • 1 blood orange
  • 1 grapefruit (white or pink)
  • 3 tangerines or mandarins
  • 1 pinch flaky salt, such as Maldon, for serving
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, mustard, and lemon juice and let stand 10 minutes, which will mellow the harshness of the raw shallot. Whisk in the olive oil and continue whisking until the dressing is emulsified, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  2. Cut each avocado half lengthwise into thirds, then cut each avocado baton in half diagonally and peel each piece. With a sharp knife, cut the ends off the oranges and the grapefruit. Working with one piece of fruit at a time, use a sharp knife to cut off the peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit. Cut the oranges into wagon wheels and transfer to a bowl. With a sharp knife, cut each grapefruit segment free of its membrane and add it to the bowl with the oranges. Squeeze the grapefruit shell over the bowl to collect the juice. Peel the tangerines, separate the segments, and add them to the bowl with the other citrus. Toss gently to combine.
  3. Arrange the fruit on a platter and add the avocado pieces, tucking them in and around the fruit. Spoon the shallot vinaigrette over and season with a flaky salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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2 Reviews

Franca January 25, 2021
This was simply delicious.
 
msmely March 17, 2019
This recipe depends on good citrus, perfect avocados, and good olive oil. Anything else isn't worth the food it's printed on. Best served at room temp and eaten straight away; I prepped the citrus and kept it in the fridge until ready to serve, purely for my own convenience, but the fruit would have been less muted had it not been cold when I ate it.