I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – it’s SUCH a hard life being a food blogger! My lunch today…Orange Avocado Salad with Herbs…someone’s gotta do it, right???
This is such a simple but BEAUTIFUL salad – it looks soooo good on the plate & also tastes divine!
This isn’t really a salad for a bowl, because the delicate avocado slices & orange segments don’t like to be tossed about too much. No, this is the kind of salad that deserves to be laid out on a plate & admired – and then get eaten!
To assemble the salad you just layer it on the serving dish. First I started with a sprinkling of the herbs, then I lay about 5 or 6 slices of avo randomly on top, then the same with the orange segments, then scattered on some more herbs, and about a third of the pomegranate seeds, shallots & feta. Layer on some more avo slices, rinse & repeat. Drizzle over the dressing & you are done. You get it – not too tricky.
A lot of the time in this recipe is taken up by segmenting the oranges, which I have included in the recipe time & instructions. I personally think that the difference in flavour and texture warrants the extra few minutes it takes to segment the oranges, but it is a choice that you don’t have to go with if you don’t want to. See my notes at the end of the recipe for another option.
This recipe is to serve 4 as a side, but you could easily double it & it would just pile up a bit more on the serving dish.
Enjoy
Lee-Ann ♥
Orange Avocado Salad with Herbs
A gorgeous delicate salad of avocado & citrus, scattered with herbs & a simple dressing. Plus instructions to segment your oranges!
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges I used navel
- 1 ripe avocado - sliced (see notes)
- 60 g danish feta crumbled
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves firmly packed
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves loosely packed
- 3 shallots/scallions/green onions finely sliced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
Instructions
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To segment the oranges (see notes), slice the top & bottom off one orange and stand it on your work surface on one of the cut ends - it doesn't matter which
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Take a sharp knife, and starting at the top & using a downward stroke, slice down the side of the orange to remove a strip of rind about 2 cm / 3/4" wide - following the contour of the orange as best you can, then continue around the orange. Then turn the orange over and trim any remaining rind from the other end as well. We are aiming to remove all of the white "pith" but leave as much of the orange flesh as you can
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You should now have a pretty naked orange, but you will see each of the segments is divided by a membrane. It should look a bit like a beach ball or a basketball
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Taking the same sharp knife you now want to cut between the membranes towards the centre of the orange, and pop out your segment & remove any seeds
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To make the dressing, take the left over orange membrane & with your hand squeeze out the remaining juice into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice & olive oil to the bowl as well & mix lightly then set aside
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To build the salad, scatter 1/4 of both coriander/cilantro & mint leaves on to your serving plate/dish
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Top herbs randomly with 5-6 slices of both avocado and orange, then scatter over 1/4 of herbs again, along with 1/3 of spring onions, pomegranate seeds & feta each & repeat until all used
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Drizzle over dressing & serve
Recipe Notes
Okay, okay - I know all that "segmenting the orange" bit sounds complicated but it really isn't - once you know how. Also, the bitter "pith", the white bit just under the coloured rind, is just that, bitter. The salad tastes much better without it.
Segmenting the orange does take a bit of time (which I have included in the cook time) so if you don't have time or just can't be bothered, then I would suggest following the instructions about removing the outer rind from the orange along with the pith. Then just slice the naked orange into rounds, slicing opposite to the direction of the membranes.
It also just looks more gorgeous & delicate without any of the white bits! But as always, your choice!
Feel free to double the recipe, just keep piling up the layers on your serving dish.
A note on the type of avocado I used. In the photos I have used a Shephard avocado (bright green shiny skin) because at this time of year here in Australia that's what's available. Normally I would use a Hass avocado (dark green bumpy skin) because they are available here most of the year (but not now) - either would be great.
*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*
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