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This fresh citrus salad is made with a kaleidoscope of citrus fruits, including grapefruit, and three varieties of oranges. Topped with a homemade orange vinaigrette, this citrus salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal!
Lately, I’ve found myself in a bit of a dinner rut—cycling through the same meals over and over. If you can relate, it might be time to switch things up! One simple way I’ve been keeping things fresh is by swapping out traditional green salads for bright and flavorful fruit salads. They’re a refreshing change, especially during the colder months when citrus is at its peak.
One of my favorites is this fresh citrus salad with orange vinaigrette. It’s light, vibrant, and bursting with juicy citrus flavors. Best of all, like many of my go-to recipes, it’s incredibly adaptable—mix and match your favorite fruits or use whatever you have on hand. It’s the perfect way to add a little brightness to your table.
Easy Steps
- Peel and slice all the fruit.
- Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
- In a small bowl, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
- Place the fruit and sliced shallot in a serving bowl, or arrange on a serving platter.
- Drizzle with orange vinaigrette.
- Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh mint.
- Serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Citrus Salad
- Any combination of citrus can be used for this salad. Use whatever you have on hand, or whatever is available in your area of the world.
- It’s best to add the vinaigrette only to the portion of citrus that will be eaten immediately. The fruit will keep longer in the refrigerator if it’s stored with no vinaigrette.
- There are many different varieties of citrus fruit. I used Scarletts, which is a variety of red grapefruit grown in Texas. They were very juicy, and sweeter than normal grapefruit. The mandarins were Cuties, which is a product of California. From November until April, Cuties can be found in grocery stores all over the United States and Canada.
Citrus Salad Variations
- Adding lettuce, arugula, or spinach to this citrus salad is delicious. Baby spinach would be especially good.
- Another addition that brings in a different texture, and taste, is avocado. Just place thinly sliced pieces of avocado in between the citrus slices.
- Add a little crunch with sliced almonds or pine nuts.
How to Peel an Orange or Grapefruit
During the fruit prep, it’s important that the pith, which is the skin between the peel and flesh of the fruit, is removed. The pith is bitter, and can be hard to chew. The best way to accomplish this is to begin by cutting off the top and bottom of your piece of fruit. With a sharp knife, cut the peel off the fruit in vertical strips. In order to remove all of the pith, you will probably take a small portion of the fruit as well. This can’t be avoided, and the waste is very minimal. Once the peel is removed, the fruit can be easily sliced or chunked. I used the vertical peeling method for the grapefruit, naval oranges, and blood oranges. The peel on the Cuties comes off so easily, that I removed it by hand, and then sliced them.
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An alternative to slicing is to vertically cut along the membranes of each section with a small paring knife. The sections, or supremes, will release, and you’ll be left with very pretty portions of citrus fruit. And don’t dispose of the membrane until you’ve squeezed out all the juice!
Fresh Citrus Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1-2 grapefruit
- 2 naval oranges
- 2 blood oranges
- 2 clementine or mandarin oranges
- 1 small shallot (if desired)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- fresh mint
Instructions
- Peel and slice all the fruit.
- Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
- In a small bowl, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
- Place the fruit and sliced shallot in a serving bowl, or arrange on a serving platter.
- Drizzle with orange vinaigrette.
- Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh mint.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
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Can’t wait to try this, Ann! Thanks for the inspiration!
My salads need a change up too!
This looks wonderful and refreshing for winter. Thank you! I’ll be making this for Valentine’s Day.