Winter Citrus & Hazelnut Salad

Winter - especially in the Pacific Northwest - is dim and gray. The sun only appears for a handful of hours, and she’s usually hiding behind foreboding clusters of charcoal colored clouds. Winter can be dazzling in the twinkling lights of the holidays, or blanketed in a glittering layer of snow -  but those dull dreary days still come and go in between.

Winter is one of my favorite seasons (my other favorite is fall, naturally) - I love the romantic gloom of heavy mist in the trees and weather that forces me to bundle in layers and wool blankets. I love eating soup, drinking hot beverages, and relishing that specific brand of silence that belongs to Winter, and Winter alone. I love it all, BUT, every so often, I crave a streak of brightness. Something that can clear the restless cobwebs that come with too many dark days. That’s when I turn to citrus.

Citrus is such a fun and contrary fruit. It’s the headliner of summer AND winter. In the midst of these shorter days with veiled sunshine, cutting into an orange or grapefruit or lemon is like having the power to part the clouds and let the light in! It’s bright vibrant colors are reflected in it’s flavor and it is just the tonic you need if you get cravings for a streak of brightness too!

This salad is very easy to make, and even easier to eat! The tart acidity melds perfectly with flakey salt, spicy horseradish, and buttery hazelnuts. It’ll give you a boost of hope you need to get you through to spring. 

Grab the recipe below!

Winter Citrus & Hazelnut Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pomelo, cut away peel and slice

1 grapefruit, cut away peel and slice

1 large naval orange, cut away peel and slice

2 medium blood oranges, cut away peel and slice

3 Satsuma mandarins, cut away peel and slice

1 medium shallot, sliced thing, cut away peel and slice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dry roasted (unsalted) hazelnuts, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish

1 ½  teaspoons flakey sea salt

a sprinkle of sumac (optional)

Instructions: 

In a large bowl or serving platter, layer citrus (pomelo through mandarins)  and shallot. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter hazelnuts evenly over top, and finish with horseradish, flakey sea salt, and sumac (if using). 

And that’s it! Just serve it up!

Feel free to swap out any of the citrus for an alternative citrus if you prefer ;)