Blood orange salad, with its slices of crisp and juicy navel and blood oranges, garnished with fresh mint leaves,is the perfect mid-winter dessert or breakfast or side dish.
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Blood Orange Salad with Spicy Marinade
I love blood oranges, also called raspberry oranges, because they're, well, bloody.
And bloody delicious! Citrus × sinensi, the Latin name, for the Sicilian citrus, tastes faintly of berries, thus the raspberry orange name.
They'll leave blood red juice dripping over your chopping board and counter tops.
Blood oranges, so called because Tasting a bit of berries and a bit c
This is an easy dish to make and it works for any type of day. And it brightens up winter time considerably.
Blood oranges are in season in the U.S. in the darkest days of winter--December through March usually.
How to Make Blood Orange Salad
You'll slice oranges and blood oranges, layer the citrus in a shallow dish, garnish with fresh mint and serve with a dressing of honey, salt, pepper and a bit of red pepper flakes.
This dish is a delicious next to a bowl of plain Greek yogurt for breakfast, as a side dish with fish or seafood or a light post-dinner dessert.
If you're a fan of blood orange, you must try my easy blood orange martini recipe. if salads are your jam, you'll love my most popular salad dish, Rosemary Chicken Salad.
More Citrus Recipes to Try
Because you can never have enough citrus, try one of my citrus desserts if you're serving this blood orange salad as a side dish: Citrus desserts are one of my specialties, like No-Churn Orange Sherbet, No Bake Key Lime Pie, Lemon Icebox Pie, Lemon Bars, Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust or Lemon Poke Cake.
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Pro-tip: you'll juice one blood orange for the dressing but before you slice it in half, use a Microplane to zest the skin and freeze it for another use.
Whenever you're going to slice a citrus fruit for a recipe, whether it's a lime, lemon, grapefruit or orange, zest the skin first and save it for another recipe.
Juice one blood orange and reserve for dressing.
You'll slice that orange in half, hold the half over a bowl to catch the juice and use a fork to push into the orange to extract the juice from the pulp in a circular motion.
Peel and slice the remaining oranges.
Be sure to remove the pith (white part), which is very bitter. Discard the pith.
Layer the slices of Navel orange and blood orange into a shallow bowl.
Prepare the blood orange honey dressing. Drizzle over the layers of oranges as well as serve remaining dressing on the side.
Once ready to serve, chop or slice fresh mint for garnish.
Recipe Notes
No navel oranges? Substitute another type of orange, perhaps mandarins or grapefruits.
Or you could substitute sliced fennel bulb for the Navel orange.
Use fresh blood oranges and Navel oranges that are firm to the touch.
Avoid wrinkled and bruised oranges.
Oranges should be deliciously fragrant and citrusy.
Quality fresh oranges will be easier to peel and slice. Avoid using overripe oranges for this recipe. Use local honey if possible.
When making the blood orange dressing, initially pour 1 tablespoon of honey.
Add the remaining tablespoon if desired after tasting the mixture.
You can prepare the blood orange dressing a couple of hours before serving. It’s best to prepare the oranges on the day you will serve them. Keep them chilled and immediately serve once the salad has been arranged. Refreshingly citrusy, the sweet and tart blood orange blends well with the sweet and slightly acidic Navel oranges. Drizzle of the blood orange and honey mixture brightens the salad.
If you love blood oranges, try my blood orange cocktail.
Why Are Blood Oranges Red?
I just read Citrus: A History by Pierre Laszlo.
This book is a bit heavy.
Unless you're a major citrus geek like me, I'm not recommending it.
But, Laszlo explained that blood oranges, which originated in Sicily, are called because their red color develops in the cooler climate.
Serving, Storage & Make Ahead Tips
You can make this dish up to four hours ahead.
The dressing could be prepared up to 24 hours ahead.
Don't slice the oranges more than 4 to 6 hours ahead.
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 48 hours.
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Recipe
Blood Orange Mint Salad
Refreshingly citrusy, the sweet and tart blood orange blends well with the sweet and slightly acidic Navel oranges. A drizzle of the blood orange and honey marinade heightens the taste.
Ingredients
- 3 small chilled blood oranges
- 2 medium chilled Navel oranges
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chiffonade fresh mint leaves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
Thoroughly rinse the blood oranges and navel oranges, then pat them dry with paper towels.
Make the blood orange honey dressing:
In a small bowl, zest and extract the juice of one blood orange.
Add honey and season with crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper.
Mix well until the honey and blood orange juice have been well combined.
Add the mint leaves and lightly stir with the blood orange mixture. Set aside.
Prepare all the oranges:
Peel oranges using a sharp chef’s knife.
Cut the top and bottom parts, then slice all sides of the orange following its curve, while carefully removing the skin and the pith.
Turn the orange on its side and slice ¼ inch thick rounds. Remove any seeds from the oranges.
Arrange the salad:
Arrange the blood oranges and Navel oranges alternately in a shallow bowl. Garnish with mint leaves.
Serve the blood orange dressing in two ways. First, serve the blood orange dressing on the side. Second, drizzle the blood orange dressing as you arrange the layers of the orange slices.
Serve the blood orange salad immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe could be prepared three to four hours in advance.
Notes
Use fresh blood oranges and Navel oranges that are firm to the touch.
Avoid wrinkled and bruised oranges.
Oranges should be deliciously fragrant and citrusy.
Quality fresh oranges will be easier to peel and slice. Avoid using overripe oranges for this recipe.
Use local honey if possible.
When making the blood orange dressing, initially pour 1 tablespoon of honey.
Add the remaining tablespoon if desired after tasting the mixture.
You can prepare the blood orange dressing a couple of hours before serving.
It’s best to prepare the oranges on the day you will serve them. Keep them chilled and immediately serve once the salad has been arranged.
Refreshingly citrusy, the sweet and tart blood orange blends well with the sweet and slightly acidic Navel oranges. Drizzle of the blood orange and honey mixture brightens the salad.
If you love blood oranges, try my blood orange cocktail.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 57Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 54mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 2gSugar 12gProtein 1g
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