This Beautiful Blood Orange Salad is with vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants and some of the rainbow’s most stunning offerings. Topped with a quick and easy Creamy Poppyseed Dressing, this healthy Winter salad is not to be missed.
Ingredients for This Salad
This Blood Orange Salad requires just a few fresh ingredients. Read more about each component, below.
- Salad Greens - We used baby spinach and arugula
- Fennel - Both sliced fennel bulb and the delicate fronds are used in this salad. The mild licorice-like flavor pairs deliciously with the tangy dressing and tart fruit.
- Navel & Blood Oranges - For eye-appeal, we used a combination of alternating blood and navel orange slices.
- Red Onion - Thinly sliced red onion gives these greens a nice bite.
- Pistachios - Crushed, salted pistachios give this salad a nice crunch and a rich, salty flavor component.
Growing Frond of Going Green: Salad Green Variations & Fennel
This Blood Orange Salad can be made with whatever greens you are most fond of. Personally, we love the peppery bite of arugula paired with the mild, tender leaves of baby spinach - but feel free to follow your heart. We’ve made several wonderful renditions of this salad with various greens. Kale, escarole, radicchio and frisée, for instance, all work well - every one of them delicious and bringing their own flavors and textures.
Fresh fennel, however, should not be missed! The fresh-from-the-ground bulb adds a bright, crisp, crunch and just a hint of sweet anise flavor. Meanwhile, the feathery green fennel fronds are mild, delicate and simply add a touch of lace-like elegance to the bowl.
Winter Citrus
This salad is all about showcasing Winter’s heartbeat: juicy, vibrant citrus fruits. For this Winter Citrus Salad we are using both the common navel orange and the tart, ruby-colored blood orange. These juicy fruits strike the perfect juxtaposition of natural sugars and unique flavors while balancing bitter undertones. We recommend opting for the heaviest fruit you can find, to ensure optimal ripeness. (Heavier citrus equates to jucier, sweeter, more-mature fruit.)
To prepare as pictured, use a sharp knife to remove either ends of the citrus fruit. Then, stand the orange up on one of it’s cut ends and carefully slice away the remaining peel by sliding the knife along the curvature of the fruit. Take care to remove all of the fruit’s white pith, but not too much of the juicy flesh. Finally, turn the fruit on it’s side and slice to reveal spirited stars of colorful fruit.
Supporting Roles: Red Onion & Pistachio
This Blood Orange Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing includes thinly-shaved red onion and a dusting of crushed pistachio. The red onion adds a desirable sharp bite and a gorgeous hint of purple.
Meanwhile, the pistachio comes through with a smidge of richness and a salty crunch. Here, we pulsed the pistachios in a spice grinder for just a moment to create a range of pistachio sizes - all the way from an almost-intact nut to a fine, salty pistachio powder that could make it’s way into every bite.
Poppyseed Polka-Dots: How To Make Poppyseed Dressing
This quick and easy poppyseed salad dressing is the perfect companion for our Blood Orange Salad. With just two minutes and a handful of common ingredients you, too, can be shaking your way into luscious poppyseed drizzles.
We used yogurt as the base for this dressing making it tangy, thick and creamy. White wine vinegar, honey and coarse-ground mustard make for a sweet and savory dressing that compliments the citrus and greens just so. The namesake, however, is all thanks to the almighty poppyseed adding a speckle of intrigue, mildly nutty flavors and an oh-so-satisfying crackle of texture.
Check out his quick How To video:
Make It A Meal
This Blood Orange Salad is spectacular on it’s own and one of our favorite ways to kickstart the first course. That being said - don’t let us stop you from making this salad a full-on meal.
This salad can make for a stellar lunch or can pair with a variety of proteins for a more-filling main event. Here are some protein ideas:
- Pan-Seared Salmon - Salmon is our favorite pairing for this salad! The fish goes so well with citrus fruit and pairs nicely with the tangy Poppyseed dressing.
- Grilled Chicken Breast - For a classic option, grilled chicken is an easy way to make this salad a meal.
- Shrimp - A few grilled on sautéed shrimp are a quick and easy addition. For yummy flavor, squeeze a little fresh orange juice on the shrimp while they cook.
- Avocado - Fresh slices of avocado are amazing on this salad! It's a great vegetarian addition loaded with lots of healthy fats and protein. It looks and tastes gorgeous with the citrus, as well!
Share Your Success!
This Winter season salad Poppyseed Dressing is certainly worthy of the spotlight! We hope you enjoy this citrusy star as much as we do. When this recipe makes its way to your table, be sure to drop us a star rating! And, as always, mention @foodworthfeed or tag #foodworthfeed in your Instagram posts and stories! We’d love to feature you on social! We love having a seat at your table, you’ll always have one at ours. Cheers!
More Appetizer Recipes
- Cucumber Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Golden Beet Salad (A Favorite Year Round Recipe)
- Fried Morels & Lemon Crema (How to Fry Morel Mushrooms)
- Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichokes
Check out our Appetizer, Snacks & Sides collection for more first course recipe ideas!
Beautiful Blood Orange Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
Ingredients
Blood Orange Salad
- 1½ Cups baby spinach washed and dried
- 1½ Cups arugula washed and dried
- ½ small bulb of fennel thinly shaved
- ½ small bulb of fennel fronds trimmed; divided
- 1 blood orange peeled and sliced in rounds ¼ inch (6 millimeters) thick; divided
- 1 navel orange peeled and sliced in rounds ¼ inch (6 millimeters) thick; divided
- Red onion thinly shaved, as desired
- 1½ Tablespoons roasted, salted pistachios hulled and crushed
Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons Greek yogurt plain, unsweetened
- 1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard coarse-ground
- 1 teaspoon honey or more for sweeter dressing
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil or avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 heaping teaspoon poppy seeds
- fine kosher salt* to taste
Instructions
Blood Orange Salad
- Gather, measure and prepare the Blood Orange Salad ingredients as listed.
- Combine spinach, arugula, fennel, half of the fennel fronds, half of the orange slices, half of the blood orange slices and red onion in a large mixing bowl. Add half of the dressing to the bowl and toss to combine. Garnish the salad with the remaining oranges, blood oranges, fennel fronds and pistachio.
- Drizzle with remaining dressing, as desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
- Gather, measure and prepare the Poppyseed Dressing recipe ingredients as listed. (To make a bigger batch, check out entire Poppyseed Dressing post.)
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar and tightly secure the lid. Shake the jar vigorously for 30 to 60 seconds until dressing is thick and emulsified. (See note: a.) Serve immediately or store dressing in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days.
Notes
*Unless otherwise noted, foodworthfeed recipes are developed using Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. If using iodized or table salt, reduce quantities by about half.
Leave a Reply