In search of the perfect summer salad? Look no further than my citrus salad with mozzarella, avocado, mint, and extra virgin olive oil. It’s easy to prepare, packed with flavor, and will be a hit at all your summer get togethers and backyard barbecues.
The key to a mouthwatering citrus salad is ensuring you buy the freshest ingredients. Shop organic if possible and select the ripest, juiciest citrus possible. In my case, the best citrus fruits at the store were ruby red grapefruits and Cara Cara oranges. However, I originally intended to use blood oranges for this vegetarian recipe. Yet they were hard and unripe at the supermarket. Fate was on my side because the result with the Cara Cara oranges was sublime.
Segmenting the Citrus
In order to make a truly delectable citrus salad, you must remove all of the rind, pith, and membrane from the fruit. Essentially, you must learn how to properly segment citrus. The process sounds more complex than it is and the secret to success lies in utilizing a sharp, high quality paring knife. Rather than outline the whole process for you here, check out this article on how to segment an orange on the Great British Chefs website. Personally, I learned this culinary technique from this exact website. It’s one of my favorites.
Citrus Salad Wine Pairings
I created this recipe specifically for the beautifully aromatic and refreshing Di Giovanna Vurría Grillo Sicilia DOC 2021. Though this is a delicious salad to pair with other aromatic white wines with high acidity and flavors of citrus, herbs, or tropical fruits. It’s essential that the wine has high acidity to match the acidity of the fresh citrus salad. Plus, the wine’s vibrant acidity offers an enticing complement to the creaminess and fattiness of the mozzarella, avocado, and olive oil.
Beyond Grillo, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Catarratto, Carricante, and Assyrtiko are other white wines that fit the bill perfectly.
This citrus salad is easy to prepare, packed with flavor, and will be a hit at all your summer get togethers and backyard barbecues.
- 3 Cara Cara oranges, segmented
- 1 ruby red grapefruit
- 1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted & cut into thin slices
- 5-10 mint leaves, chiffonaded
- perle mozzarella or other mozzarella of choice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
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Segment the oranges and grapefruit. Peel and slice the avocado. Chiffonade the mint. Grate the lemon zest.
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Arrange the salad on a serving plate in an eye-catching way. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and season with salt.
