Citrus Salad

4.50 from 10 votes

My longtime fascination with honey finds a home in this citrus salad, with juicy oranges, tart grapefruit, kiwi, and a fragrant honey-vanilla syrup. I usually use about half the syrup because I enjoy the grapefruit’s tartness; add more to suit your taste.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Dessert, Entree/Salad

Cuisine: American/Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 113.9kcal

Author: Summer Miller

Ingredients

For the Syrup

1 large lemon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and pod reserved

For the Salad

2 Cara Cara or navel oranges
2 blood oranges
2 kiwi
1 pink grapefruit
1 tablespoon fresh basil or mint, cut into ribbons (optional)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Instructions

Make the syrup. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the lemon zest in long strips, leaving behind as much white pith as possible. Juice the lemon into a small bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, water, vanilla seeds and pod, lemon peel, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until infused and slightly thickened. Stir and remove from the heat.
Prepare the oranges and kiwi. Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of an orange to expose the flesh. Stand it on one cut end on a cutting board. Working from top to bottom and following the curve of the fruit, cut away the skin and white pith. Turn the orange over and trim away any remaining peel, then slice into rounds. Repeat with the remaining oranges. Trim and peel the kiwi, then slice into rounds.
Segment the grapefruit. Remove the grapefruit’s skin and white pith as you did with the oranges. Carefully cut alongside the membrane on each side of a segment to release the flesh. Repeat around the grapefruit, leaving the membranes behind.
Dress the salad. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the lemon peel and vanilla pod. Transfer the sliced oranges, kiwi, and grapefruit segments to a bowl. Add the honey-vanilla syrup and the ribboned basil or mint, if using. Gently toss to coat.
Finish and serve. Serve in the bowl for a casual presentation, or arrange the fruit on a platter. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, if using, and a few more fresh herbs.

Notes

Adjust the sweetness to your taste. When I make this salad for my family, I usually use only about half the syrup because I like tart grapefruit. I save the rest to add to hot tea or sparkling water.
To scrape a vanilla bean: Split the pod lengthwise, then run a knife along the inside to scrape out the tiny seeds. Add the seeds to the syrup. The scraped pod goes into the saucepan too, adding flavor as the syrup simmers.
Another use for a scraped vanilla pod: Instead of adding it to the syrup, you can tuck it into your sugar dish to make vanilla-scented sugar.
Visit our shop: Try the Greek thyme, forest, and wild herb honey I use for this citrus salad and drizzle over my morning yogurt.

Nutrition