Grapefruit, Fennel, & Avocado Green Salad

A raw salad made with two types of greens, grapefruit, fennel, and avocado

Spring is a great season for vegetables (see a list of my favorites), but it's kind of an awkward time for fruit. It's too early for summer favorites like peaches and nectarines and a little too late for special winter citrus, like blood oranges. Luckily, the farmers' market was still selling some juicy ruby red grapefruits, and I was able to snag a big bag of them at a discount. This salad incorporates the grapefruit segments with arugula and frisee lettuce, thinly sliced fennel, and creamy avocado slices. There's an interesting mix of textures and flavors that keeps each bite a little different and exciting. I made a double batch and served half for dinner and layered the other half (grapefruit and fennel on the bottom, then frisee, and then arugula) in a tupperware with a separate container of dressing and it held up perfectly for lunch the next day.

Note: Frisee lettuce isn't everyone's favorite, but I really like its slightly bitter taste and sturdiness. It adds great body to this salad, but you could replace it with endive or radicchio or something else similar.


Related Recipes:
- Butter Lettuce Salad with Cara Cara Orange & Avocado
- Strawberry & Mixed Green Salad
- Corn, Avocado, & Arugula Salad with Jalapeno-Lime Dressing


Arugula & Frisee with Grapefruit, Fennel, & Avocado:
For Dressing

• Whisk together 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice* and 1 tsp. dijon mustard.
• Add in a pinch of salt and pepper, then slowly whisk in 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil.
• Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Set aside.

For Salad

• Cut the rind from 2 large ruby red grapefruits, then cut between the segments to make grapefruit supremes.
• Use a mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice 1 bulb of cored fennel as thin as possible.
• In a large salad bowl, combine the fennel with 4 oz. baby arugula and 1 head of chopped frisee lettuce.
• Toss the mixture with the dressing and season with salt and pepper.
• Tuck the grapefruit supremes and 1 thinly sliced avocado evenly into the lettuces and serve.

Serves four

*I was able to squeeze this out from the leftover grapefruit after I cut out the segments.