Citrus Avocado Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese
This bright and vibrant winter salad is made from three different types of oranges, creamy avocado slices, tangy goat cheese, and crunchy pistachios, topped with a sweet and citrusy vinaigrette. It is a great side salad for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner to highlight the abundance of citrus fruits available in winter and early spring.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 cara cara oranges
- 3 blood oranges
- 2 navel oranges
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup pistachios (shelled and roughly chopped)
- 2 oz goat cheese (crumbled)
- fennel fronds for garnish (see note for substitution)
Citrus Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
- orange juice reserved from cutting oranges (about 2 tbs)
- 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel and slice oranges into rounds about ¼ inch thick (see note for how to slice), reserving any juice that collects on the cutting board and squeezing excess juice from peel slices in to a small bowl.
- Arrange orange slices on a large platter, layering a mixture of each orange type.
- In a small bowl, mix reserved juice from the oranges along with other vinaigrette ingredients. Whisk to combine.
- Thinly slice avocado and layer it with the oranges. Top with pistachios and goat cheese.
- Drizzle dressing on top (you may not need quite all of the dressing), and garnish with fennel fronds or herbs.
Notes
How to Slice Oranges:
Use a sharp knife to first cut off the top stem end of the orange. You want to cut about a quarter to a half of an inch in (depending on the size of your orange). Next, trim the opposite end, giving you two flat ends. Turn the orange so it is standing on one of the flat ends, then make a slice down and around the orange, following the curve of the orange. The idea is that you should remove the white pith and peel, revealing the inside flesh of the orange, without too much waste. Rotate the orange, and make another similar vertical slice next to the first. Continue around the orange until all of the peel and white pith is removed. After all of the peel is removed, slice each orange along the equator in about ¼ inch thick slices. I like to use a serrated knife for this, as I find it easier, but if your butchers’ knife is nice and sharp, it should work for this as well. If you Don’t Have Fennel Fronds:
I happened to have fresh fennel fronds laying around from another recipe I had made. But if you don’t have fennel fronds, you can easily substitute roughly chopped or torn fresh basil, dill, or even cilantro leaves for the fennel fronds.
Use a sharp knife to first cut off the top stem end of the orange. You want to cut about a quarter to a half of an inch in (depending on the size of your orange). Next, trim the opposite end, giving you two flat ends. Turn the orange so it is standing on one of the flat ends, then make a slice down and around the orange, following the curve of the orange. The idea is that you should remove the white pith and peel, revealing the inside flesh of the orange, without too much waste. Rotate the orange, and make another similar vertical slice next to the first. Continue around the orange until all of the peel and white pith is removed. After all of the peel is removed, slice each orange along the equator in about ¼ inch thick slices. I like to use a serrated knife for this, as I find it easier, but if your butchers’ knife is nice and sharp, it should work for this as well. If you Don’t Have Fennel Fronds:
I happened to have fresh fennel fronds laying around from another recipe I had made. But if you don’t have fennel fronds, you can easily substitute roughly chopped or torn fresh basil, dill, or even cilantro leaves for the fennel fronds.
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