Citrus Salad with Napa Cabbage, Dried Cherries, and Cashews

By daiseyduck

Published January 1, 2013. From Cook's Illustrated.

Why this recipe works:

Savory salads made with oranges and grapefruit are an impressive way to showcase colorful winter fruit but only if you can work with the bitterness of the grapefruit and prevent the fruit’s ample juice from drowning the other components. We started by treating the fruit with salt to counter its bitter notes (a technique we’ve used in the past with coffee and eggplant), but the salt pulled even more juice out of the fruit and onto our platter. Draining the seasoned fruit enabled us to preemptively remove the excess juice, some of which we used in the dressing for the salad greens. Salted nuts added richness that contrasted nicely with the fruit and the assertively flavored greens, and dried fruit added texture and sweetness. (less)

Ingredients

• 2 red grapefruits
• 3 navel oranges
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 small head napa cabbage, cored and sliced thin (4 cups)
• 2/3 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup salted roasted cashews, chopped coarse

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cut away peel and pith from grapefruits and oranges. Cut each fruit in half from pole to pole, then slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Transfer fruit to bowl and toss with sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Drain fruit in colander, reserving 2 tablespoons juice. Transfer fruit to platter, arrange in even layer, and drizzle with oil. Whisk reserved juice, shallot, and mustard in medium bowl. Add cabbage, 1/3 cup cherries, and ¼ cup cashews and toss to coat. Arrange cabbage mixture over fruit, leaving 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cherries and remaining 1/4 cup cashews. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.