Its finally summertime and this means it is time to bring on all of the light, refreshing salads! This citrus salad with pistachios and balsamic is full of bright, cheerful flavors that celebrate the naturally sweet juicy goodness of citrus fruit.
There are so many varieties of citrus fruits and although there are similarities among them, there are also varying levels of sweetness, tartness and flavor. From grapefruits to lemons, blood oranges to limes, clementines and everything in between, each of these beautiful fruits are a great source of vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants.
This salad is beautiful, delicious and perfect for everything from a light lunch to the appetizer before a summertime dinner party. Let’s get started…
This salad is super simple to bring together and you can use 1 or 2 of your favorite citrus fruits or a whole bunch of them depending on how much variety of flavor and color you are looking for. Today, I am using red grapefruits, blood oranges, clementines and limes. I think this group both looks beautiful together, but also creates a well balanced profile of sweetness and tartness.
Begin by peeling your citrus fruits and use a sharp knife to thinly slice them. Remove any seeds and trim off any excess pit before assembling the salad.
To assemble, add a layer of baby arugula or mixed greens onto a large salad plate or platter and then arrange your thinly sliced citrus over the greens.
If I am making this salad for a quick, healthy lunch, I usually just toss everything into a bowl, but if I am serving this salad to friends or using it as an appetizer, I layer the slices in alternating colors. It is so easy to make this salad look gorgeous and if you are looking for a dish to make your dinner table pop… this is it!
Next, sprinkle some finely chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese over the citrus. The pistachios add crunch, saltiness and a little pop of color and the goat cheese adds beautiful creaminess that works so well with everything else going on in this wonderful summer salad.
Although the citrus adds plenty of juicy goodness to this dish, a salad just isn’t a salad without some sort of a dressing, right? Well, the only thing this salad doesn’t have is something rich. Yes the goat cheese adds something close, but a drizzle of balsamic vinegar really finishes this salad off in the perfect way.
From the crisp greens and crunchy pistachios to the creamy goat cheese and rich, velvety balsamic this salad is all about the citrus and all about summertime flavors you are going to love.
Citrus Salad with Pistachios & Balsamic
Ingredients
- grapefruit, peeled & thinly sliced
- oranges, peeled & thinly sliced
- clementines, peeled & thinly sliced
- limes, peeled & thinly sliced
- pistachios, finely chopped
- goat cheese, crumbled
- balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice your citrus fruits
- Add a bed of baby arugula or mixed greens into a large salad bowl or platter and top with citrus slices, finely chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and enjoy!
