Description
Ina Garten’s Provençal orange salad combines zesty citrus with delicate herbs and olives. Crisp ingredients create Mediterranean magic that will transport diners straight to southern France.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 seedless oranges (Cara Cara or navel)
- 3 blood oranges
- 10 large green olives (picholine or Castelvetrano), pitted
- ½ small red onion
- ½ fennel bulb, top and core removed
- 1.5 tbsps (22.5 ml) fresh mint leaves, julienned
- 1.5 tbsps (22.5 ml) fresh basil leaves, julienned
- Good olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fleur de sel or sea salt, for serving
Instructions
- Onion Preparation: Slice red onion into delicate half-moons and soak in ice water for 15 minutes to reduce pungency. Drain completely and set aside.
- Orange Transformation: Using a serrated knife, remove peel and pith from oranges, then slice into uniform rounds. Arrange artfully on a serving platter, allowing natural juices to collect.
- Fennel Integration: Slice fennel paper-thin using a sharp knife or mandoline, creating translucent layers. Distribute evenly across orange base.
- Flavor Composition: Disperse drained red onion pieces, scatter briny olives, and sprinkle fresh mint and basil leaves across the salad, creating a vibrant color and texture landscape.
- Seasoning and Marination: Drizzle extra virgin olive oil generously, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently toss to ensure flavor harmony. Let the salad rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to allow ingredients to meld and develop depth.
- Final Touch: Finish with a delicate sprinkling of fleur de sel moments before serving to enhance the salad’s sophisticated profile.
Notes
- Soften Onion Bite: Soak sliced red onions in ice water for 15 minutes to reduce their sharp, overwhelming flavor and create a milder taste experience.
- Master Citrus Technique: Use a serrated knife to carefully remove orange peel and pith, ensuring clean, precise slices without bitter white membrane.
- Slice with Precision: Use a mandoline or extremely sharp knife to create paper-thin fennel slices, maintaining delicate translucent layers for optimal texture.
- Flavor Fusion Time: Let salad rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving, allowing ingredients to blend and develop a more complex, harmonious taste profile.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg