Avocado Orange Salad

I scanned the leaden grey skies for a ray of sunshine, fruitlessly. Welcome to Toronto in December. The dull ceiling of clouds glowering above my head reflected my mood; it was time to go shopping for a treat. I was looking forward to the arrival of a new crop of blood oranges at my local fruit store. Strictly a winter fruit, my stash had been depleted months ago. I left the market laden with bags of treasure: blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges and Meyer lemons. I had plans for this luscious bounty but making this avocado orange salad with maple glazed pecans by Bonnie Stern, first published in the National Post, was my immediate remedy for the winter blahs.

Avocado Orange Salad

Blood oranges are a rather grisly name for a wonderfully sweet and beautifully colored citrus fruit. They have a thin, red-blushed orange skin, with flesh that ranges in color from pink to brilliant red to burgundy. Taste-wise, they’re tart-sweet with tones of blackberry, raspberry, plum and pomegranate. The pigment that makes their flesh so dark red is a free radical fighting antioxidant called anthocyanin. This powerful antioxidant “mops up cancer-causing free radicals in the body”.

Blood oranges are available from December to April, so don’t pass up the opportunity to make this salad now. The jewel-toned blood oranges with their tangy berry flavor contrast and delineate the buttery smooth taste of the avocados. The maple glazed pecans add a salty-sweet crunch in every bite. If you start to snack on the glazed pecans, just make sure that you hide some in the freezer to serve with your salad…or you may have to make another batch.

Assemble your ingredients. To make the maple glazed pecans, toss the nuts with 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them at 325 F. for 15-20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven and sprinkle them with a large-flaked salt. I used Maldon salt. The pecans will crisp as they cool. Set them aside.

To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar with the mustard, maple syrup and salt. Whisk in the oil. Set the dressing aside.

Cut the top and bottom off the orange without peeling. This is to steady the orange when you cut off the peel. Slice down from top to bottom cutting only the skin and pith (white part under the skin) of the orange. When the peel and pith has been removed, lay the orange on its side and slice into 1/4 inch slices.

To assemble the salad, place the mixed lettuces in a shallow bowl or on a platter. Cut the avocado in half and remove the skin. Cut it into 1/4 inch slices and scatter them on top of the lettuce. Place the sliced oranges decoratively over the lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle the pecans over top. Try to share. 

Print Recipe

Avocado Orange Salad

Soups and Salads

By Bonnie Stern, National Post, March 2014 – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Mixed greens, jewel-toned blood oranges, buttery smooth avocados, sweet and salty pecans drizzled with a maple Dijon dressing.

Ingredients

• Dressing
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil
• Maple pecans
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• pinch of Maldon salt or other large flaked salt
• Salad
• 6 cups mixed lettuces
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces
• 1 orange, (blood orange or Cara orange if available), peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Instructions

1

Make the dressing: Blend vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and salt together. Whisk in the oil. Set aside.

2

Candy pecans: Preheat oven to 325 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the pecans with maple syrup. Spread on the prepared baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Maldon salt or other large flaked salt. Allow the pecans to cool.

3

Slice orange: Cut a small piece off the top and bottom of the orange so that it will sit flat on your cutting board. Using a sharp knife, peel the orange cutting from the top to the bottom, carefully slicing away the skin and pith but leaving the flesh intact. When all the skin and pith have been removed, lay the orange on its side and slice into pieces 1/4 inch thick.

4

To make the salad: Place the lettuce in a shallow bowl or on a platter. Cut an avocado in half. Peel and slice into pieces 1/4 inch thick. Add the avocado pieces to the lettuce. Arrange the orange slices decoratively on top of the lettuce between the pieces of avocado. Drizzle with dressing and scatter the glazed pecans on top.

Notes

This salad is also delicious made with a regular navel orange.