Ruby Red Grapefruit and Radicchio Salad
This stunning Ruby Red Grapefruit and Radicchio Salad was inspired by the Parmesan, Arugula, & Pear Salad in my cookbook, Supper with Love on page 38. It feels a little bit fancy….slightly elegant, if you will. And this is THE salad that you need to add to your salad rotations because the flavor combinations work incredibly well together. Now, I have to admit that in my younger years, I was a bit apprehensive in using leafy veggies that have a reputation for being slightly bitter or peppery. But in recent years, I’ve been leaning more on things like arugula and in this case, radicchio. And if you are anything like I use to be, trust me…this salad will be a delicious surprise for you.
I can easily see this being served at brunch and pairing it with some soft scrambled eggs and English muffins, an omelet, a frittata, a Dutch baby, or even quiche. And for lunch or dinner, I would pair it with your favorite baked or grilled protein. Or top it with a few boiled eggs that have been quartered and serve it with some freshly baked artisan bread to make it a meal.
For the grapefruit, I enjoy using ruby red or rio red grapefruit, because they tend to be on the sweeter side. Blood oranges, when in season, are another great alternative. See below for some other suggestions.
For the blue cheese, I prefer to use the kind that is still whole. Not the kind that has been pre-crumbled. It tastes so much better and you’ll thank me later. If blue cheese is not your thing, I provide some other alternatives below.
For the vinaigrette, I like to use any remaining juice from the peels and insides of the grapefruit. Not forgetting any juice that is on the cutting board. There’s no reason for all of that juice to go to waste. But in the event that you don’t have enough juice, or you rather forgo all that together, you can use a different type of acid. Lemon juice works wonderfully, or you could simply use vinegar such as white balsamic, champagne, or apple cider vinegar. Now, this baby is quite easy to pull all together. So, I’ve made a short video over on YouTube. If you’d care to see it assembled, click here or see the video below. 🙂
Similar to my cookbook, you can freestyle this salad and make it your own in many different ways.
Here’s a few ways to freestyle this recipe:
- Use white balsamic, champagne, or apple cider vinegar instead of grapefruit juice
- Use arugula, endive, baby kale, frisée, or spinach instead of radicchio
- Use pomelo grapefruit, blood oranges, oranges, pears, peaches, or nectarines instead of ruby red grapefruit
- Use gorgonzola, feta cheese, goat cheese, Asiago, Gruyere, parmesan, or Pecorino Romano instead of blue cheese
- Use pecans or pistachios instead of walnuts
Are there ways to veganize this recipe???
Yes! To make this salad vegan, simply omit the blue cheese or use a vegan blue cheese or vegan feta cheese.
Get the Recipe: Ruby Red Grapefruit and Radicchio Salad
Ingredients
For the Citrus Dijon Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup olive oil, extra-virgin
- ¼ cup grapefruit juice, or champagne vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons grainy dijon mustard , such as Country Grey Poupon Mustard
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 1 small head radicchio, torn or roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 small ruby red grapefruit , segmented (reserve any juice that comes from the grapefruit and squeeze the flesh and peels into the vinaigrette. I typically get about ¼ cup of juice.
- 1 small avocado, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup walnuts, crumbled
- 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup red onion, or shallot, thinly sliced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Chef's Knife
- Paring Knife
- Serving Platter or Large Bowl
Instructions
Make the vinaigrette:
- Combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small mason jar and give it a good shake. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
- It's totally optional, but I like the add the slices of red onion into the vinaigrette while I make the salad.
Assemble the salad:
- Now, this baby is quite easy to pull all together. So, I've made a short reel over on Instagram if you'd care to see it assembled, click here.
- Gather a large platter and arrange the radicchio, grapefruit segments, avocado, walnuts and blue cheese on top.
- Fork out the red onions and drizzle the desired amount of vinaigrette on top of the salad. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve immediately with the remaining vinaigrette on the side for anyone that may need more.
This is just so pretty!
Thanks so much Mimi!!