Radicchio and Citrus Salad with Hazelnuts and Dill
This is such a pretty salad!
Radicchio, a crimson coloured leafy vegetable, looks almost like a miniature red cabbage. But it's actually part of the chicory family. Radicchio leaves are crunchy and quite bitter. The sweetness of the citrus in this salad provides the perfect foil.
Bitter-leaf salads like these are also often served with caramelised nuts. I have a much healthier, "cheats" way of giving the nuts a hint of sweetness without adding a heap of sugar to your meal.
Ingredients
1 radicchio, washed, core removed and finely sliced
4-6 citrus fruits of your choice. How many you use depends on their size and your preferred ratio of sweet-to-bitter. I have used a mix of blood orange, tangelo and ruby grapefruit in the salad in the pic.
1 bunch dill fronds, washed and chopped (discard the thick stalks)
1 cup roasted hazelnuts OR you can use raw hazelnuts and dry roast in a pan for 2-3 minutes. If you don't have hazelnuts you can use walnuts, pecans or almonds.
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar OR 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar - use whatever you prefer
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Place hazelnuts in a bowl and add the maple syrup. Stir until the hazelnuts have a fine coating of maple syrup. Set aside until you are ready to assemble your salad.
Peel and segment your citrus fruit. Do this over a bowl to save the juice, as this will be used for the dressing. And squeeze the unsegmented parts of your citrus fruits to get as much juice as possible.
NEVER SEGMENTED A CITRUS FRUIT BEFORE? NOT SURE HOW TO DO IT? Check out the video tutorial below!
Dressing:
Drain the citrus juice into a separate bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, apple cider (or balsamic) vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
Place shredded radicchio and half the dill fronds in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss well.
To assemble salad:
Arrange dressed radicchio/dill in a serving platter.
Place citrus segments on top.
Scatter hazelnuts over citrus segments
Garnish with the remaining dill fronds.
Serve and enjoy!
How to segment citrus fruits: