Grapefruit-Avocado Salad Recipe

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This Grapefruit-Avocado Salad is picturesque, fresh and super delicious! While you can whip it in only twenty minutes, it’s impressive enough to serve at a dinner party! Welcome, everybody, to my first “Friday Flowers!”

Flowers inspire me greatly — and different flowers make me think about different foods.

“Friday Flowers” isn’t necessarily about adding floral items to what I’m cooking.   Flowers often just make me think of different foods I want to eat or cook.  For example Lavender makes me think of grilled meat (I know:  a little bizarre), and Hydrangeas bring my mind to cupcakes with super rich, beautiful buttercream!
I don’t go out looking for inspiration.  Flowers just grab me as I pass by them.  I’m not sure if Nastursiums are growing like crazy where you are, but here in LA, they’re everywhere right now.

This week I jogged past a huge spread of them in the Santa Monica Mountains, drove by a hillside of them on the way to my son’s swim class, and saw them growing wildly on almost every residential street in my neighborhood!

Nastursiums are so pretty and happy.  These little wonders don’t require much attention to grow, so they thrive easily.  Nasturtium flowers and leaves are edible as long as pesticides aren’t used. They add a great peppery flavor and vibrant color to any dish.

I love serving this salad on top of big, beautiful Nastursium leaves!

So yes, today we are actually eating the flowers!  Since I find Nastursiums to be so cheerful, this is a very bright salad.  It dances with color and flavor!  Delightful for your brunch this weekend!

Friday Flowers might not happen every week, but expect it fairly often, because flowers do capture my imagination.  What flowers inspire you?

Some notes before you make the Grapefruit-Avocado Salad:

• If you can get your greens at a Farmer’s Market, that’s ideal.  You can often find lovely mixes that include flowers, herbs, and many different lettuces.
• If you don’t see Nastursiums on your street, they will often sell them in plastic containers in the herb section of the produce department, in the supermarket.
• I intentionally make more dressing than is needed — I love having another serving or two to use throughout the week on other salads I might make.
• And finally, here’s a photographic guide for How To Cut An Avocado and How to Cut Citrus Segments and Slices.

Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Grapefruit-Avocado Salad

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

This Grapefruit-Avocado Salad is picturesque, fresh and super delicious! While you can whip it in only twenty minutes, it's impressive enough to serve at a dinner party!

Course: Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pretty salads, salad for party

Servings: 4

Calories: 270 kcal

Author: Valentina K. Wein

Ingredients

For the salad

• 5 ounces mixed baby greens, washed and dried
• 2 Ruby grapefruits
• 1 large avocado
• 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup pistachios

For the dressing

• 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the salad

1. Wash and dry the greens and add them to a serving bowl large enough to mix the salad.

2. Cut the grapefruits into "supremes."  This is a way of removing the skin and all of the membranes that surround the flesh to make pretty slices. To cut the supremes:  On a cutting board, use a paring knife to cut about 1/2-inch off the top and bottom of each grapefruit.  Now, to remove the skin, set the grapefruits down on one of their flat surfaces and use the knife, moving downwards into the fruit and cutting only slightly into the flesh.   Once you've removed all of the skin, use the paring knife to slice on each side of each grapefruit segment and gently lift it out with the knife.  Add the supremes to the bowl with the greens as you go and save the remaining parts of the grapefruits!  (It's where the juice for the dressing will come from!). (Here's a photographic guide for cutting the supremes.)
   

3. Peel and cut the avocado into thin slices, about 1/4-inch thick, and add them to the salad bowl along with the cheese.

4. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of honey over the pistachio nuts and stir to coat them. Set aside.
   

For the dressing

1. In a small mixing bowl, squeeze the excess juices from the grapefruit leftovers to equal 1/4 cup.  Whisk in the mustard, remaining 1 teaspoon of the honey, and the salt.  Gradually whisk in the oil and then season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside.

2. Add the desired amount of dressing to the salad and toss it well.  Then top with the honey-pistachios.

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