This grapefruit salad is the right winter salad with a mix of spicy arugula, avocado, blue cheese and juicy grapefruit. Serve it as a aspect salad or add protein for a full meal.
I’m a Valentine’s Day child, so the vacation has all the time felt further particular — stuffed with chocolate, hearts, and sweetness! That stated, going out on February 14th is usually a trouble. Eating places are packed, menus are restricted, and all the pieces feels overpriced.
That’s why Isaac and I normally have fun at residence with a home made dinner, and this avocado grapefruit salad was born from a type of cozy nights in. Grapefruit, in season in the course of the winter, provides a pop of colour that’s excellent for Valentine’s Day vibes. It’s a terrific aspect salad to serve alongside for a full meal.
The mixture of spicy arugula, creamy avocado, tangy blue cheese, and juicy fruit is a complete winner. Serve it as a starter, aspect salad to my my cottage cheese pasta or penne alla vodka or add protein like grilled shrimp, grilled hen, or air fryer salmon to make it the star of your meal!
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- Fast and straightforward – With just some easy components and no cooking required, this salad comes collectively in minutes.
- A steadiness of flavors and textures – You’ve bought all of it: candy, tangy, creamy, and crunchy in each chew.
- Good for any event – Whether or not you’re making a fast lunch, serving it as a dinner aspect, or including it to your vacation unfold, this salad suits proper in.
- Customizable – Swap components to match your preferences or what you have got available —it’s tremendous versatile!
Components Wanted
- arugula – the peppery chew of arugula provides a daring, contemporary base for this salad.
- grapefruit – juicy and tangy, grapefruit brings a refreshing citrusy pop that pairs completely with the opposite components. I used a purple grapefruit for this salad, however be happy to make use of your favourite number of grapefruit.
- avocado – creamy avocado provides richness and balances the tartness of the grapefruit.
- walnuts – chopped walnuts present a satisfying crunch and a dose of wholesome fat.
- blue cheese – crumbled blue cheese provides a tangy, creamy taste. If you happen to’re not a fan, swap it out for feta, goat cheese, and even shaved parmesan.
- dried cranberries – candy and chewy, these add a contact of pure sweetness that ties the flavors collectively.
- balsamic dressing – a easy balsamic dressing enhances all of the flavors on this salad, bringing a contact of tangy sweetness to each chew.
Recipe Variations
- Make it extra filling: Flip this salad into an entire meal by including this apple cider vinegar hen, grilled shrimp, or my air fryer salmon bites. For a plant-based possibility, strive roasted chickpeas or baked tofu. You might additionally add quinoa or one other grain of selection like farro to assist beef up this salad.
- Use a special inexperienced: If you happen to’re not a fan of arugula or don’t have it available you need to use spinach, child kale or combined greens.
- Swap the citrus: As an alternative of grapefruit, use oranges, blood oranges, or mandarins for a sweeter citrus taste.
- Swap the walnuts: Swap walnuts for pecans, almonds, or pistachios. Or strive sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds for a nut-free possibility.
- Use a special cheese: If you happen to’re not a fan of blue cheese be happy to skip it or swap it with goat cheese or feta cheese. Each are nice substitutes!
Find out how to Make Avocado Grapefruit Salad
This grapefruit and avocado salad is tremendous straightforward to make! With just some minutes and a few easy components, you’ll have a contemporary salad able to take pleasure in. Right here’s find out how to make this grapefruit salad recipe:
Step 1: Mix the balsamic dressing components or shake them in a jar till mixed.
Step 2: Add all of the salad components to a big bowl, drizzle with dressing, toss gently, and serve.
Brittany’s Suggestions!
- Grasp the grapefruit – Take your time when segmenting the grapefruit. Use a pointy knife and punctiliously reduce away the peel and pith — no one desires bitter bites! Belief me, it’s well worth the effort for these juicy, clear segments. See my ideas beneath on find out how to reduce a grapefruit for this salad.
- Decide the right avocado – You need an avocado that’s simply ripe and gentle sufficient to be creamy however not so mushy that it falls aside while you slice it. If it’s underripe, you’ll miss out on that dreamy texture!
- Toast these walnuts – Toasting the walnuts takes their taste to the subsequent stage and provides a heat nuttiness to the salad. Simply a few minutes in a dry skillet makes an enormous distinction.
- Costume it up final – Wait to drizzle the balsamic dressing till you’re able to dig in. This retains the greens contemporary and prevents any unhappy, soggy bites.
Find out how to Reduce a Grapefruit
You’ll wish to reduce the peel off the grapefruit so there’s no bitter rind or pith. Right here’s how I like to chop the grapefruit for this salad:
- Reduce off each ends of the grapefruit so it has a flat base to face on.
- Stand the grapefruit up and slice off the peel and pith (the white half), following the curve of the fruit.
- As soon as the peel is off, maintain the grapefruit over a bowl (to catch the contemporary juice) and slice alongside the membranes to take away the segments. Segmenting the grapefruit removes the bitter pith and makes for a candy and juicy smoothie with none bitter aftertaste.
Find out how to Retailer Leftovers
This grapefruit avocado salad is greatest loved contemporary, however if in case you have leftovers, retailer them in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 1 day. To maintain it contemporary, retailer the dressing individually and add it simply earlier than serving.
Find out how to prep upfront: You possibly can prep the person components upfront. Section the grapefruit, chop the walnuts, and make the balsamic dressing forward of time and retailer within the fridge till you’re able to eat your salad. Assemble the salad and slice the avocado proper earlier than serving to maintain it wanting and tasting its greatest.
Regularly Requested Questions
Grapefruits are in season from November by means of June, with the height season being from January-March, relying in your location. That stated, you’ll be able to normally discover grapefruits yr spherical in most grocery shops.
Sure! Merely skip the blue cheese or exchange it with a plant-based cheese various.
In fact! Whereas balsamic dressing is a traditional selection, be happy to make use of your favourite dressing. A citrus French dressing, lemon French dressing or white balsamic French dressing can be scrumptious, however olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice would additionally work fantastically. Be happy to take a look at all of my salad dressing recipes for extra concepts.
Extra Salad Recipes
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This publish was initially printed on February 8, 2019 and republished on January 22, 2025.