I'm officially entering salad season but not your typical salad - a salad packed with flavor, tang, layers of leafy vegetables as well as spring veggies that make it pop. You will love this new fresh Radicchio, Arugula and Asparagus Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette.
I first made this salad on Easter - I was truly trying to use up some produce I had in the fridge while adding a fresh element to our grilled flank steak. If you've been here a while you know that I adore radicchio and feel it's quite underrated in the food world. To me it's a mix of kale and cabbage - strong and rugged, a little bitter but packs so much flavor!
With a container of leftover washed radicchio from our pizza night, I forged the fridge to see what else would work well for a fresh take salad. Peppery arugula is always a treat and adds a different texture than radicchio, citrus season is still going strong and I had a TON of oranges and grapefruits to use up so a citrus based dressing became the background flavor and worked so well.
With a fresh bunch of asparagus in hand I either needed to roast them or blanche them and toss them in the salad - that became one of the best ideas and elevated the salad to a solid 10! I also think the asparagus really gives that hint of spring vibe that we all crave this time of year.
Since Easter, I've tweaked a few things and added a few more toppings because who doesn't love STUFF on their salad? The more the better in my opinion! So let's dive in and find out what makes this salad the next one on your dinner table!
Ingredients
The stars of the dish are radicchio, arugula and asparagus - they are married with a citrus dressing and the rest is up to your own interpretation!
- Radicchio - One of my all time favorite "greens" - if you haven't tried radicchio before I URGE you to do so. It's firm and hearty, has a bit of bitterness (we remove most) and just makes a salad that much more interesting.
- Arugula - Another great salad green. Arugula packs a bit of a peppery punch, it's lovely with a simple lemon vinaigrette but also gives this salad great notes with the sweeter citrus dressing.
- Asparagus - It's spring and asparagus is popping up in every grocery store. Adding some blanched asparagus to this salad gives it a very springy, seasonal taste and feel.
- Pecans & Pumpkin Seeds - Adding a crunch element really elevates the salad, I've candied some pecans and pumpkin seeds with maple syrup.
- Goat Cheese - This is an addition to the salad from its original form. The salad was perfect without it but I craved a little creaminess and tang and goat cheese was the perfect addition.
- Orange - Fresh oranges or mandarins are the base to our citrus dressing. I love using orange because it lends a sweetness to very strong greens in this salad. Always use both the zest and juice!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Of course olive oil is the base to our dressing and helps us achieve the creamy emulsification.
- Dijon Mustard - Adding dijon mustard is classic and adds a tanginess to the dressing.
- Lemon - Balancing out the sweetness of the orange is important, adding a bit of lemon juice + zest helps level it out.
- Shallots - Minced shallots give a nice bit and sharpness to the dressing.
- Honey - Balancing and playing on that sweetness from the orange, adding a touch of honey brings it together.
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Supremed citrus - a mix of oranges and grapefruit or whatever citrus you have.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Begin by cutting your radicchio and allowing it to soak in cold water for a good 30 minutes. This helps to minimize the bitterness in the radicchio. Once soaked, rinse and spin until fully dry. While your radicchio soaks, prep the rest of your ingredients and dressing.
Prep your asparagus by trimming the ends.
Place a pot of water on the stove top and allow to come to boil. Prep your asparagus by trimming the ends. Once the water has boiled, place asparagus in and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Remove quickly and place in bowl with ice water to stop cooking.
Prepare your candied nuts and seeds. In a small skillet (nonstick is ideal) heat on medium-high, place a teaspoon of olive oil. Add your nuts and seeds and mix to coat completely. After 2 minutes, pour your maple syrup and cook until all nuts and seeds are fully coated and sticky.
Remove from heat and pour on sheet of parchment paper to cool. Top with flake salt.
Prepare your dressing by adding the zest of your orange and lemon to a bowl. Add your minced shallot.
Add your dijon mustard, honey, orange and lemon juice and finally olive oil. Whisk together until fully emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl add your radicchio, arugula and trimmed asparagus. Pour about half of your dressing and mix to combine. Taste and add additional dressing as needed.
Plate and top with candied pecans and seeds, goat cheese and supremed segments of orange and grapefruit or whatever citrus you have on hand.
Store any additional dressing in the fridge for use at a later time.
Substitutions
Some quick substitutions:
- Red Cabbage or Belgium Endive - If you can't get your hands on radicchio red cabbage or Belgium endive is a good substitute.
- Kale - Kale is a great substitution for arugula, I like the lacinato or dinosaur kale.
- Maple Syrup - If you want to keep the recipe vegan, sub maple syrup or brown rice syrup for honey.
- Nuts - I love the addition of candied nuts and seeds but the recipe would be lovely with simply raw or roasted pecans, pumpkin seeds or whatever you have on hand.
- Feta - Feta would be a another lovely cheese addition, I would try to go with a creamy feta in this dish versus a traditional Greek crumbly one.
Storage
This salad has a little heft to it, I totally would enjoy it the 2nd or 3rd day from the fridge. It will lose a little bit of crispness but not a ton.
Extra dressing is great in the fridge up to month.
Equipment
These are some of my favorite tools that I used regularly.
- Salad spinner - truly gets your greens ULTRA dry, I couldn't live without it!
- Small non-stick skillet
- Parchment Sheets - best investment and tool, I use them for EVERYTHING!
- Microplane - use this to zest your citrus
- Diamond Kosher Salt - my preferred salt, it takes a little more than table salt but has better flavor. More information about the types of salts: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/types-of-salt/
Chef Tip
Make it your own! I find that salads are freeing and really give you a canvas for whatever you have on hand and ingredients you love. This combination works for me, but maybe you have other greens or ingredients to use. Mix them up with the dressing and create your own plate.
Try adding seared steak, grilled chicken or a pan fried fish would be perfect on top.
Radicchio, Arugula and Asparagus Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Salad
Description
This salad brings a freshness with spring asparagus, slightly bitter radicchio, peppery arugula and a bright citrus dressing. The flavors really pop!
Ingredients
- 1 head of radicchio, core removed and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
- 2-3 cups of arugula
- zest of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice, about 1 orange juiced
- juice of ½ lemon, about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced, about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- salt to taste, I usually add 2 teaspoons of DIAMOND kosher salt. If using table salt, start with 1 teaspoon
- goat cheese
- citrus segments: orange, grapefruit, blood orange
Candied Pecans & Pumpkin Seeds
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds, raw or toasted are fine
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- flake salt
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your radicchio. Cut in half and remove the core from both halves. Place flat side down and make 1" cuts down the backside, turn and cut once more. This will give you 1" size bites. Repeat on 2nd half and place in bowl of cold water - I usually use the bowl of my salad spinner. Allow to soak for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- 1 head of radicchio, core removed and cut into 1" pieces
- Prepare your asparagus by removing the ends. Simply snap toward the bottom and the asparagus will naturally release where the tough fibers are. It's usually about 2" or so. Place your asparagus in a pot/pan of boiling water and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Remove quickly and place in a bowl with cold water and ice to stop the cooking. This will give you perfectly blanched asparagus. Cut into 1-2" pieces once cooled.
- 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
- Prepare your dressing by zesting both your orange and lemon. Add your minced shallot and finally your remaining dressing ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add salt to taste, I usually add about 2 teaspoons of DIAMOND kosher salt. If using table salt, cut in half and add 1 teaspoon.
- zest of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice, about 1 orange juiced
- juice of ½ lemon, about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced, about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- salt to taste, I usually add 2 teaspoons of DIAMOND kosher salt. If using table salt, start with 1 teaspoon
- Prepare your candied pecans and pumpkin seeds, you can also simply top your salad with raw or roasted nuts and skip the candied part but they are so delicious - it's worth it!
- Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Add your olive oil, add your pecans and seeds and allow to toast for 1-2 minutes. Add in your maple syrup and cook until just becoming sticky.
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds, raw or toasted are fine
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- flake salt
- Once done, pour onto a sheet of parchment paper and top with flake salt. Allow to cool.
Assemble Salad
- Rinse, drain and dry your radicchio - I like to spin dry in my salad spinner to ensure full dryness.
- Place your radicchio, arugula and asparagus pieces in a large bowl.
- Pour ½ your dressing and mix to coat. Add additional dressing and salt to taste.
- Finally top with crumbled goat cheese, citrus segments and your candied nuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- The salad is best enjoyed the day it's made but is still tasty the 2nd day dressed.
- The dressing can be stored in the fridge up to a month.
Holly Kosek says
I just made this today and couldn’t stop eating it! It was fresh and hearty. The goat cheese was a perfect topper. Even though I burned my pecans (whoops wasn’t paying attention) we still at them and they added a perfect crunch to it. Thanks for helping me get veggies in my life.
Cosette Posko says
Yay for veggies and yummy salads! It's one of my new favs! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Xoxo,
Cosette