Citrus Carpaccio is really a fancy name for a very thinly sliced citrus salad. Drizzled with a lovely yuzu dressing with a touch of heat, this is a fantastic winter citrus appetizer.
How beautiful is this!? It’s almost like a painting.
Citrus varieties can taste and look so different from each other. And I just love how they all look together on a plate.
What is Carpaccio?
- Carpaccio is actually an Italian meat dish.
- Served raw, the protein is very thinly sliced or pounded.
- Traditionally, Carpaccio is drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, with capers and onions.
- Carpaccio is most often served as an appetizer.
So I’ve really just stolen the name because I’ve sliced the citrus so thinly — which actually makes a difference not only in presentation, but also in taste.
What’s in this recipe?
- Yuzu juice
- lime zest
- sugar
- jalapeño pepper
- grapefruit
- orange
- blood orange
- basil
I made a tasty sauce with the Yuzu and jalapeños, and drizzled it over the citrus appetizer. It’s the perfect amount of sweet, tang and heat.
What is Yuzu?
- Yuzu is another citrus variety. Cultivated primarily in Asia, the fruit is very fragrant, sour and tart, with overtones of Mandarin orange.
- It’s not a fruit you’d eat on its own. It’s used for its zest to flavor sauces and dressings.
- It looks like a small grapefruit with slightly uneven skin and can be either yellow or green depending on the degree of ripeness.
What to serve with Citrus Carpaccio
This Citrus Carpaccio salad is fantastic to serve as an appetizer before Pad Thai with Spicy Lime-Peanut Sauce or Spicy Cilantro Shrimp.
It would also be great with Simple Honey-Lemon Roasted Chicken.
And here’s a crazy idea . . . . what if you added it to vanilla bean ice cream!? Delicious!
A few more citrus appetizers to tempt you:
- Spicy Honey Citrus Salad
- Colorful Carrot Citrus Salad
- Pickled Ginger-Citrus with Creamy Wasabi Dressing
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Winter Citrus Carpaccio
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Yuzu juice
- zest of 1/2 lime
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- about 1/2 of a small jalapeño, very thinly sliced in rings, seeds removed
- 1 Ruby Grapefruit
- 1 Naval orange
- 1 blood orange
- a few basil leaves
Instructions
- In a very small sauté pan, over low-medium heat, warm the Yuzu juice with the lime zest and sugar. Cook just to dissolve the sugar, about 30 seconds. Add the thinly sliced jalapeño and let this come to room temperature while you prepare the fruit.
- To prepare the fruit, use a paring knife to cut about 1/2-inch off the top and bottom of the citrus.
- Remove the skin by setting the fruit down on one of the flat surfaces and use the knife, moving downwards into the fruit and cutting only slightly into the flesh.
- Then cut very thin round slices and cut those in half. (Save the remaining parts of the grapefruits and juice them -- simply to have on hand!)
- Arrange the fruit with the basil leaves in a circular pattern on two plates, and drizzle each serving with the Yuzu-Jalapeño sauce.
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sippitysup says
@ things. First I think jalapeno goes with everything. Thanks for proving me right! And second. Ruby grapefruit are full of lycopene, just like tomatoes! Great excuse to eat more, right? GREG
Gerlinde in Dallas says
Lovely looking salad!
valentina says
Thank you Gerlinde!
Aimee says
What a gorgeous salad! I’ve never heard of Yuzu before – I’ll have to give it a try.
valentina says
Thank you Aimée! You will love Yuzu juice! xo
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) says
The colors in this salad are beautiful! I saw this on Tastespotting and immediately was intrigued. I find the addition of the jalapenos really neat too.
Great photos! Looking forward to checking out more 🙂
Russell at Chasing Delicious says
Gorgeous salad. What incredible colors and such awesome flavors. This is my kind of dish.
valentina says
Thanks Russell. I hope you try it! 🙂
Nancy/SpicieFoodie says
What a beautiful and colorful salad. It would be a great treat to welcome spring with. Looks delish!
valentina says
Thank you, Nancy! Yes, welcome Spring! 😀
Jason says
Basil, citrus and jalapeno – what a great savory-sweet-spicy combination. Citrus is amazing at this time of year – a great time to try this recipe.
And hey, you’re not too far off with the ‘carpaccio’ name – the original beef dish was thought up in the ’50s to pay tribute to a Renaissance painter, Vittore Carpaccio, who did lots of paintings in deep reds. So through a few more blood oranges in there and you’re right on target! (this is what happens when a food nerd and a history nerd collide.)
valentina says
Thanks, Jason – I LOVE when history, food & art collide, too! 🙂
angiesrecipes says
So colourful, pretty and healthy! I certainly NEED some too.
valentina says
Thank you, Angie! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook says
Absolutely beautiful, healthy and soo vibrant one !
valentina says
Thank you, Davorka. Hope you have a lovely week. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
After having a big dump of snow last night, this bright, refreshing salad is in order! I bet it tastes as good as it looks!! Love it!
valentina says
I love light, refreshing dishes after the holidays — and I probably would love them after a snow, too. 🙂 Thank you, Dawn! 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced says
While January in general can be dull and dreary, one of my favorite things is citrus! Yup, oranges, grapefruits, etc. I usually just eat ’em plain, but I’m digging the idea of turning them into ‘capaccio.’ Love the concept! (And that dressing sounds unique for sure…I’ll have to keep an eye out for Yuzu juice.)
valentina says
Hope you see the Yuzu somewhere. Enjoy and thank you, David! 🙂 ~Valentina
Liz says
Gorgeous!!! Saving this to serve to my dinner club next month!!
valentina says
Yay! I hope the club loves it! Thanks, Liz. 🙂 ~Valentina