Arugula Citrus Salad with Pistachios

Bright, bold and sweet flavors of grapefruit, tangelos and blood oranges make this winter citrus salad a vibrant, flavorful side salad.

Winter Produce

The recipe is simple with just arugula, your favorite citrus fruits, pistachios, onions and a balsamic oil vinaigrette. It's vegan and gluten-free so most eaters can enjoy this salad.

This recipe truly incorporates winter produce by using in-season citrus fruit like the blood oranges and tangelos. If you don't have these fruits available just use whatever citrus fruit you have available near you - it'll still be a delicious fruity salad!

For greens, I love using the spicy, peppery arugula. Other salad green options would be kale, endive, or spinach or fennel.

My favorite part of this salad is how bright, colorful and flavorful it is. While winter doesn't make us typically think of sweet, juicy fruit, this salad is a great way to remember spring is on its way 🙂

How to Segment Citrus Fruit

Ever wondered how people get their citrus fruit to be so beautifully cut with no pith on it? Pith is the white fibrous membrane on oranges and grapefruits.

Well, I got you covered in a step by step collage of how to segment citrus fruit. It's much easier than it looks.....although, it's super messy so definitely wear clothes you don't care about getting fruit juice on or wear an apron!

1. Start by slicing the ends of the oranges and grapefruit off. You'll want to cut deep enough to reveal the fruit.
2. Cut around the fruit to remove the peel on the sides. Using a sharp knife is key so you don't cut yourself or have to apply too much pressure.
3. Time to segment the fruit - slice in at an angle along the vertical lines of the fruit. You'll still see where the membrane runs down the fruit so in order to release it from the section you'll cut in between each line.

Segment the fruit over a bowl to catch all the juice. We'll use some of the fruit juices in the vinaigrette, so you'll want to keep it!

If you feel you need more of a visual of how to segment fruit watch this video by Serious Eats that shows those steps but in video format.

A few tips to getting the slices to stay together: make sure your knife is sharp. You don't want to have to apply too much pressure when you're cutting into the fruit. Also, refrigerate the citrus fruits before you use them in the salad. They are less like to be soft, which can make it harder for the knife to slice the fruit.

Making the Salad

Start by segmenting the citrus fruit over a bowl since you'll need the juice for the vinaigrette, and this is the part that takes the most time.

For this recipe, you'll need a 5 oz container of arugula. Add it to the salad bowl first and then add in the segmented fruit, pistachios and onions.

For the dressing whisk everything together in a bowl, pour it over the salad and toss to coat well - bon appétit!

Topping Options

Put your own creative spin on the recipe and jazz it up with some ideas below!

Cheese: The original recipe is vegan, so only add cheese if you aren't needing the salad to be vegan. I highly recommend a strong cheese like goat cheese, feta cheese, or blue cheese. It'll contrast the sweet citrus and peppery arugula beautifully!

Nuts & Seeds: Add more nuts like pecans or toasted almonds or throw in pumpkin seeds.

Avocado: Creamy avocado will add a nice texture and some healthy fats to the salad to make a more filling!

Storage

I wouldn't recommend prepping this salad ahead of time to eat later. It's best when it's freshly made. The citrus and arugula can get soggy with time.

The salad will keep for a few days, but it's best eaten the day it's made - enjoy!