This Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese combines sweet oranges, fresh mint and spicy arugula. It's topped with tangy cheese and flaked almonds to make a work of art on a plate.
This Winter Citrus Salad is a beautiful medley of contrasting flavours: sweet oranges, peppery arugula, and tangy cheese. It has a subtle hidden flavour that pops out after the first bite: fresh mint!
Here's a nutritious salad that will brighten any winter meal.
This Winter Citrus Salad is a work of art!
A few years ago, just for fun, I went to a Women's Paint Night. These events are tailor-made for participants like me: People Who Do Not Paint.
The lesson format guaranteed success. We were each provided with a blank canvas, a paint smock, and all the paints and tools we would need to create a canvas just like the sample. The instructor led us through a series of steps, adding layers of colour and different elements one by one, designed for us to create an abstract painting.
When we finished, we stepped back to admire each other's work. While all the paintings were similar, each had its own individual touches that made it unique. Each artist brought her own style to her canvas, even though the materials used and the instruction provided were the same for us all.
Creating this fresh Winter Citrus Salad and layering it with different varieties of oranges reminded me of that painting. It truly is a work of art, it was fun to create, and you can change some of the elements to make it truly your own.
🛒 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this refreshing, healthy citrus salad.
- blood oranges
- large navel oranges
- red onion
- fresh mint leaves
- fresh baby arugula
- white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- crumbled goat cheese, or ricotta or feta
- flaked almonds, toasted
🔪 How to make a sliced citrus salad
Start with a base of fresh, juicy oranges. Use whatever is in season. I usually use two blood oranges and two varieties of navel oranges and arrange them on a large platter, overlapping them slightly.
Try Cara Cara oranges when they're in season, too. They're naturally sweet and they have a beautiful pinky-orange hue.
Next, add thinly sliced red onions and finely chopped fresh mint leaves.
Toss arugula leaves with a little oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and add them to the platter. I sometimes use lemon-infused olive oil, but any extra-virgin olive oil will work just fine.
And finally, garnish with crumbled cheese--your choice of goat cheese, feta, or ricotta. Omit the cheese to keep this recipe vegan.
Add your finishing touches by scattering the salad with flaked toasted almonds or finely chopped pistachios.
❓Your questions, answered!
Using a chef's knife, cut off a thin slice from both the top and bottom of the orange. Next slice from top to bottom, following the natural curve of the orange all the way around.
Your goal is to keep the round shape, but remove as much of the bitter white pith as possible.
🍽 What to serve with an orange salad
This salad makes a healthy side dish for any main dish and it's particularly refreshing when your main dish is spicy. Try it with any of these
- Easy Japanese Chicken Yakitori Skewers
- Crock-Pot Sticky Chicken
- Asian Glazed Garlic Chicken
- One Pan Spicy Miso-Ginger Chicken
🗒 More cheerful winter salad recipes
When you make this citrus salad with sliced oranges, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance!
More cheerful salad inspiration!
- Watermelon Radish and Satsuma Spinach Salad
- Kiwi Mandarin Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
- Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
- Orange and Avocado Salad with Parmesan Crisps
- Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta
- Kale and Cara Cara Orange Salad
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It was time for a refresh!
📖 Recipe
Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ small red onion, sliced thinly
- 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
- 2 blood oranges
- 2 large navel oranges
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 3 cups fresh baby arugula
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin, or lemon-infused olive oil
- sea salt and pepper
- 2 - 3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese, or ricotta or feta
- ¼ cup flaked almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Put sliced onion in a small bowl with 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar. Set aside.
- Remove peel and pith from oranges and slice into rounds.
- Arrange on a platter or on individual serving plates.
- Sprinkle with mint leaves.
- Drain red onion, discard vinegar and scatter onion on oranges.
- Toss arugula with olive oil and remaining 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add to salad.
- Garnish with crumbled cheese and flaked almonds and serve immediately.
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired by Saveur's Citrus Salad with Arugula & Ricotta Salata.
Natalie
I went to a paint and wine night a couple weeks back. Like you, I'm not much of a painter either. Thankfully, I'm really good at wine, lol. This salad is BEAUTIFUL and I love all the parts going into it, especially the mint and goat cheese.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Natalie,
lol. Yes, there are some things that take lots of practice, like painting. It's a good thing wine-drinking is easy to learn. Thanks for your comment!
Dr. Kimberley | Healthy Life Redesign
This is such a pretty salad! It truly is a work of art Elaine!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Kimberley! It was fun to put together.
kathi @ laughingspatula
Goat cheese anything for this kid! This looks so wonderful and would be beautiful on a party table!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Kathi! I love goat cheese too, but I also made this salad with feta. Equally as good!
The FoodOlic
What a beautiful plate, filled with colors and flavors! Plus, I'm a BIG fan of goat cheese: it's a "must try" recipe for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Tiffany!
Tiffany
That is a beautiful salad. Citrus anything and arugula are two of my favourite things. This is a flavour combination I'll have to try.